


Being Alive

by Drakthul



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Tragedy, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:21:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 47,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27339349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drakthul/pseuds/Drakthul
Summary: One hundred years after the death of Naraku, Sesshoumaru faces his final challenge, left with the ghosts of the past at his back. What is supposed to be the ultimate challenge, a single battle, becomes an old adventure.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Kagura/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

** Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Inuyasha, or really any other property. Thank you. **

** Being Alive **

****

** Chapter I: The Last Dragons **

**Sesshoumaru:**

The last one standing.

That was what it was to be Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands. It'd been exactly one hundred years since the death of Naraku, and he was truly the last one standing of the demons, humans, and creatures which took part in the quests and adventures that saw the Shikon Jewel destroyed finally. Time saw them all stripped from the world, one by one. Some died in the adventure itself, others found their end afterwards. Each one left their mark on the world, even if they never left a mark on Sesshoumaru himself.

The world had offered him no challenges anymore from demons of varying powers. The most powerful of them had ceased to be. A few of the weaker demons had simply bled into the human populations, melding themselves into human bloodlines. The other weaker demons, found their end at the hands of priests, priestesses, and guns. The human invention of such a radically powerful weapon as the firearm, was impressive weapon to be certain, especially when put up against demons much _lesser_ then himself. The wilderness had shrunk as well.

He'd become the last Dragon.

Samurai warriors had sought the chance to slay the demon Sesshoumaru for years now. Each human who came, bearing his family's honour and sword, were hardly a challenge for he, Sesshoumaru. It was neither a mercy, nor a pleasure to slaughter them. It was almost a mechanical motion, killing them for having the audacity to think themselves _worthy_ of the honour to face him.

The wind gently brushed past him as he stood alone in the long, outstretched field. It carried on into the mountains as far as the eye could see, dotted with human settlements in the greater distance. In this, the wild and untamed lands, Sesshoumaru found his thoughts, he found peace. In these fields across Japan, lay his slain enemies, and lay his kin.

Inuyasha's death came many years after the woman Kagome's, but in truth it was clear that he'd died the day she had. It was hardly his concern whether Inuyasha had lived or died, his half-brother had made his own decisions. It was painfully obvious however, that Kagome had never belonged here, with him. His brother had lured her from her own time, where she rightfully belonged. Her world was never been a place he had visited, though he knew that in several hundred years, it would be the world with which he lived in. Still, her death while bearing the third child of her and Inuyasha hadn't been something his half-demon brother had coped with.

A tragic ending, to be assured, and one which seemed to be almost wasteful. For all that their father had invested in his brother, for all he'd left him, Inuyasha lay in a humble grave next to a human woman overseeing a small village, their father's sword in his hands.

The human monk, and the demon huntress were long dead as well, having _infested_ as much of the island as they could with their offspring. They were of little consequence in his estimation all the same, especially after the death of Naraku.

Walking into the tall grass, Sesshoumaru passed several trees, all of them familiar to him, having walked these lands for so many years. To his right he saw a tree which his most loyal of followers, Jaken, had rested against once while desperately attempting to keep up with him. The tiny demon found his own end at the hands of humans with guns, only two years ago. Compatriots of a Samurai who'd been slain in combat against him.

Sesshoumaru would never admit to having missed anyone, but there was something off putting about no longer hearing the squawking little toad following his every footstep. His journey had become almost too silent. The only thing which added any volume to his life now was the wind brushing through the trees, or the final moments of a fool's life.

The wind reminded of him of the only death he felt regret for during the quest to stop Naraku. It was ironic, considering Kagura was apart of Naraku in her own sense. Their scents were near identical, but they were hardly such. Even until this day, Sesshoumaru never admitted nor grasped what had changed for him since her death. Totosei had told him that his heart had 'changed', but that was ridiculous. It seemed ridiculous all the same. It was a subject he tried to not let his thoughts wander to often.

The one it'd most wondered to for almost fifty years, was Rin. The tiny human girl who'd been taken into his charge. The innocent child who he'd stood by and watched her whole life, from childhood to death. It was the closest thing to fatherhood he'd ever experienced, being the girl's guardian. He'd been there when she'd died for the first, and second time. He'd been there for her when Kohaku and her married, and he'd been there for her when her first child was born. She and Kohaku had died a long time ago, but they'd died old and happy. The last day of her life they'd seen one another again, and Sesshoumaru had noticed the same smile on her as the first time they'd met. For a human, despite the suffering of her early years, she had a long and happy life. She'd told him as much that very day, and thanked him for allowing her to have it.

It was a crime that the humans worthy of living, were given as little time in the world as the rest of their species. For Sesshoumaru himself, time no longer mattered in the same way. It was just a measurement of how long he'd been alive. Whatever the humans achieved meant incredibly little to him, whether it be their guns, or their ships. What challenges remained any further for him? The only things he cared for beyond merely his own power, had long since washed away in the river of time.

When the wind picked up again, Sesshoumaru noted a scent in the wind which he'd never detected before however, and one which was clearly another demon. It was different then any other _youkai_ he'd ever sensed before however. It didn't at all smell familiar as to any demon he'd ever detected before. It was as foreign as the vile stench of Hyoga and Menomaru. It wasn't a demon from the island of Japan, this was an outsider.

The sound of feet stepping on the dirt road behind him told him as much as he needed to know. Another demon was here to challenge him, hiding his power beneath the appearance of a human being.

“I take it _you're_ Sesshoumaru,” a deeper male voice said, his Japanese was broken in its pronunciation.

Turning his head, the dog demon appraised the figure before him with scrutinizing golden eyes. Standing there was a man in the guise of one of the Europeans, he almost had an air of being Portugese. These foreign humans were the ones who first arrived, trading with the Japanese, often bringing their guns with them. He stood there in the garb of a European as well, but beneath the veneer was a demon every bit as 'human' as he, Sesshoumaru, was. Steeled blue eyes stared at him, a serious look written in marble across his face. The face itself was framed by a thick nose around the base, and pointed at the tip, through to a relatively strong brow. Tanned skin and a light beard showed time in the sun, as well as travel. Anything else he could gather, would only arrive once this creature showed its true form.

The wind blew through Sesshoumaru's long silver mane, a stark contrast with the newcomer’s short black hair.

“And who exactly are you?” Sesshoumaru responded shortly, having little interest in long conversation.

Slowly, the black vest he'd worn over his shoulders disappeared into his white shirt, and then the shirt slowly morphed and faded into hardened plated layers of armour. The breast plate which formed over his chest soon showed nothing but a reef, and atop his head, a helm formed of golden light, before solidifying into a metallic silver, with golden bands trimming it. Leggings morphed into almost a skirt, before he stepped forward, moving his head to one side. Standing in front of Sesshoumaru was a foreign kind of warrior, armoured heavily, but as no Samurai would be. The armour was as magic bound as the entity which wore them.

To his left, a long thick blade materialized in its sheath, before the left arm was covered by a large circular shield, a shield made of heavy steel and its facing was decorated with the symbol of a wolf.

“My name, is Romulus. I am the last of my kind, of the pure demons from the old world. I have come to face the last challenge left in this world.”

“How very presumptuous,” Sesshoumaru commented, before turning to fully face the first _real_ foe he'd seen in decades. “To think that I, Sesshoumaru, would be a challenge for you to conquer.”

The iron face that Romulus still wore, didn't change.

“Said all the others for the last three thousand years. Said every fool who came in my way. I have stood for as long as the stones of Rome were put in the swamp. I am the final judgement of another demon's worth. Before we fade into the histories, I will know that I have climbed to the top of what we are, that I have become the only one of us worthy of survival in this new world of men. The first of my conquests was my brother Remus, and in the eyes of my father, the last of my conquests will be Sesshoumaru, the son of Inu no Taisho.”

Narrowing his eyes, Sesshoumaru listened to the boast filled rant before preparing his plan of attack. The first thing he needed to do was find out just how strong this demon was, then how he fought. After those were discovered, it would be time for the kill. Perhaps there was some merit in what this demon said. One final battle, one final challenge and struggle, to see the future or to fade into the past. This was hardly a worthy adversary in his estimation, there had only ever been one true adversary worthy of him... his father.

Drawing the long straight blade, which Sesshoumaru would never have designated as a “Spatha”, Sesshoumaru slowly drew his Bakusaiga. Green energy seemed to pulse from his own blade, as angry red energy crackled off of the other fighter's blade. It was only then that Sesshoumaru felt the tidal wave of demonic power coming from his adversary. It was like an ocean surging forward violently. Any other warrior may have flinched, though Sesshoumaru merely held his ground, not showing any outward signs of any of his thoughts regarding it.

In a flash of motion however, Romulus took off towards him, his sandal clad feet pressing intot the ground harshly before he pulled his shield up, before sweeping into Sesshoumaru with a spinning slash from his sword. As it came, Sesshoumaru raised his own blade to meet it. Staring directly into his enemy’s eyes as they locked blades in that heartbeat, the two came to a full realization of the battle that was to come.

Green energy rippled from the Bakusaiga before Sesshoumaru shoved his enemy back, immediately pushing into him and striking back, only to find his blade deflected with a magnificent splash of green energy sparking off the shield itself, as the sound of a magical barrier hummed in response to the blow. It immediately made the dog demon take note, seeing just how formidable the shield was to his blows. Stepping back, Sesshoumaru dodged back the response from the shield, before swinging his blade back towards Romulus's spatha, countering another blow. Red energy flicked off of the shorter sword, cutting almost into the Bakusaiga itself.

Casting his enemy back with one strong shove of his right arm, Sesshoumaru took several steps back, seeing his enemy land gracefully on his feet, before raising his shield again. A talented and powerful adversary to be certain, but not one _worthy_ of him. A creature in these alien clothes and armour, one clearly spoiled by weaker enemies then himself, thought himself his equal. The shield which he carried was the worst insult of all, only a coward who feared death would hide behind a wall of metal, magically enhanced or otherwise.

Holding his sword firmly, Sesshoumaru gracefully slipped one foot to the side after another as his counterpart did the same, both demons preparing to clash once again. The red energy around the sword sparked again, this time almost making the image of Romulus shift into three. The dog demon's nose sniffed once, picking up powerful energies and his eyes told him it wasn't a lie somehow. Another spark of red energy came, and before him was not one youkai, but three. Together they stopped circling as a smile betrayed all three of their faces, before they locked their shields together, and began to push towards him.

“A man, a legion, a nation, I am whatever I must be to know victory,” the European demons said in a deadly tone.

One demon or three, it didn't matter.

_I will not be killed at the hands of this pitiful excuse of a challenge._

Tilting his Bakusaiga, Sesshoumaru plotted out his attack around the three demons, seeing the pack acting almost as one unit. Had the demon's power been split? He wasn't quite sure, but he could see quite clearly that this was no illusion, despite the nature of the trickery.

“I, Sesshoumaru, will not be overcome by such pitiful trickery.”

With that, the last of the full-blooded dog demons charged forward, feigning an attack left, only to burst right, trying to swing around the shield wall. With lightning speed he landed to their left, but in a motion even faster, the shields were faced towards him again. Narrowing his emotionless eyes at the speed of the rotation, he withheld any comment or signs of annoyance, instead making another leap and bound, trying to force the other demons onto the defensive. The result was the same, the shields and bodies shifted in the open ground, making another facing towards him.

With his left hand free, the demon lord let poison drip from his claws, before slashing up towards the shields. Whips of green energy and corroding toxins carved through the air, cleaving into the shields. The sound of hissing metal was heard for only a split second, before each shield was shown to be pristine. Gripping his sword tightly, he pulled back his right arm as green energy cascaded around it.

“ **Bakusaiga!** ”

As soon as the blade was swung forward, the beam of terrifying power carved out from the blade, cutting through the air towards them. The ground under the energy sizzled and died at the effects of the poisonous assault. When it hit the wall of steel however, it warped and fluctuated, before disappearing into the almost reflective outsides of the large round shields. The heavy defensive line then started to glow with the very power he'd just launched into it, and in a blur of motion, the shield wall broke as the two outer Romulus's disappeared into thin air and the centre one dashed towards him, striking out with his blade at high speed, attempting to catch him off guard. Blocking with the Bakusaiga, Sesshoumaru made a small noise of irritation, before Romulus swung around, slamming the edge of his shield into his face. The edge of the shield _burned_ with his own poisons, and it was as hard as a diamond. Bones protested in his face, as the impact lacerated his skin. A bloody rift opened across his right cheek and along the bridge of his nose, as the sound of his own skin burning sizzled.

Stumbling back, the Lord of the Western lands recovered in a split second, raising the Bakusaiga to meet the coming slash from the blade again, this time using his off hand to charge his poisoned claws again. Shoving back and forcing the other demon's arm back, he slashed upwards, raking his venom across the chest plate of his enemy. A stunned look crossed the other demon's face as he entered his defence for the first time.

_Any combatant who cannot see how they can be defeated, is already doomed._

His father's words rang through his mind as his confidence surged, watching the other demon stumble back, before locking his shield forward again. With a flick of red energy from his sword, his two shield-doubles appeared next to him. Locking his sword forward, feeling the warm blood streaming down his face, Sesshoumaru kept his eyes peeled forward, ignoring the wound entirely.

“Would you believe me, Lord Sesshoumaru, if I told you that your little slash did nothing to harm me?” he asked, before started to march towards him once again. “All it has done is remind me as to _why_ you are the last of our kind to avoid me.”

“Ridiculous. I, Sesshoumaru, avoid no challenge,” he responded with a cool tone.

This time the shields began to glow green again, still holding the residual power they'd absorbed from his Bakusaiga. Shoving the shields outward, the same wave Sesshoumaru had sent into the three demons before, regurgitated itself back towards him. The wave of deadly green light shot towards him, and there was only one option. Leaping back, the dog demon watched as the ground in front of him melted into nothing seemingly. It was hard to even follow the other demon as he closed distance with him in the air. The cold feeling of the now depowered shield slammed into his face again, causing blood to stream from his nose. Still in the air, Sesshoumaru shifted his body at the final moment before he could be impaled on the short, straight edged sword. Instead, it slashed against the left side of his rib cage, causing his white kimono to immediately stain red.

His back hit the side of a tree, unable to control his fall, making him break through several pieces of wood. Grasping his sword tightly upon landing on his back, before rolling to his feet, Sesshoumaru lashed out with his Bakusaiga again. Another stream of green energy cut towards the other demon, who emerged from the brush only to find the counter-attack already upon him. Now it was a matter of buying time.

The shield raised itself just in time, sucking in his youkai energy once again. Though this time the dog demon had already jetted to the side, rushing head long through the trees, knowing his counterpart was giving chase. Bursting through the trees on the other side, finding himself in a lake of white flowers, he stopped, breathing heavily from his wound.

It wasn't fleeing, it was repositioning himself to defeat his enemy. Turning about, he only had time to dodge once again to the side before the blade cut past him. This time a wave of red energy came after it. The crescent arc of energy slashed through the flowers and road, before cleaving through the centre of a small village. Fire exploded from where it stood, leaving Sesshoumaru to look after it as he realized where he was.

_This is the village Rin and Kohaku settled in._

Before he could make another move, the right side of his ribs stabbed with pain as the edge of the shield slammed into them. Hearing a triumphant and furious roar from Romulus, Sesshoumaru only looked ahead before he felt the sword bury itself into his guts for a brief moment. Snarling he stabbed his Bakusaiga into the now exposed leg of his new enemy. The hissing sound of the demon's flesh burning told him well before his nose did, of the success. Shoving him back, leaving a trail of blood after him from the Spatha, Sesshoumaru just breathed heavily as the wounds in his abdomen began to show themselves. The whole front mid section of his armour and kimono began to stain with blood.

Bleeding onto the flowers, he took several steps back, seeing the Roman Demon's left-hand tremble as he reached down to his leg.

“What have you done?” he hissed while looking down at his leg, before looking back up coldly at Sesshoumaru.

A wound suffered from the Bakusaiga, would never heal. The other demon would suffer the limp for so long as he lived. Sesshoumaru didn't intend for it to long.

Suddenly however, he felt hazy, almost passing out as the wounds in his chest began to fester with a vile red energy themselves.

Inside that village, were Rin's children, and grand children. The fight had to leave this valley.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**_Sesshoumaru: Ten Years After the Defeat of Naraku._ **

_It was oddly familiar, this place._

_Walking through the valley towards the small village set atop the edge of the hill which represented the barrier around the grew flowing field of flowers, Sesshoumaru saw the new home of Rin, and her husband Kohaku. With his usual calm pace, and Jaken in tow, he walked towards it. There were no more then a hundred, perhaps one hundred and fifty humans living in the settlement. There was sign of livestock and the typically squalor ridden conditions that humans chose to live in._

_“Lord Sesshoumaru, what are we doing in this vile place?” Jaken squawked from behind._

_“Be quiet, Jaken,” Sesshoumaru ordered as he walked through the entrance to the 'humble' village. “You will not speak so disrespectfully of Rin's chosen home.”_

_The little demon froze at the remark, looking up at his master from behind. It was evident after all the years of travelling with Jaken, that it was happened at that very moment._

_All around them, humans looked in shock at what was happening. A few ran for help, some of the women gasped at the sight of him, noting his appearance, and some didn't notice him at all. He preferred the latter of all of them, in truth._

_It was when two men charged towards him, holding spears frightfully in hand, that he stopped moving. Demon hunters, and even they were smart enough to realize what they would face, if they chose to face him. It was a show of force, a warning, and little else._

_“Stand aside,” the demon-lord ordered, his voice almost frozen. “I, Sesshoumaru, have no quarrel with you.”_

_“Demon! We know your kind! Whatever you had planned-”_

_“It's alright Nobu, you guys can stand down,” a familiar voice cut in. “This is my father-in-law, Lord Sesshoumaru.”_

_There was that term again. It was already hard enough to stomach when his brother's wife, Kagome, called him brother-in-law. Now the once boy, now a man, Kohaku seemed intent on irritating him as well. Rin was not his daughter; she was his charge._

_“I am not your father-in-law,” Sesshoumaru answered bluntly as he continued to walk forward, moving past the two stunned men, who lowered their spears once he moved through them._

_There was a short laugh from the young man, wearing his simple tunic. He stepped forward with a smile all the same, not fearing him in the slightest. It was only ten years earlier, that Sesshoumaru had nearly killed this boy for attacking his charge under the influence of Naraku. Only a few months ago, the wedding ceremony had taken place, and it was very simple. Several kilometres away, lay Inuyasha's village, which was where it took place. For a human, it was a day-long journey. He'd been asked to attend, by Rin, and relented and agreed to come the day of the event._

_Now Rin's husband stood there confidently before him, a smile on his face, and the only thing the demon-lord wanted to do was roll his eyes and move on. He was hardly here to see Kohaku, He wasn't here to see anyone, he'd convinced himself, he was but passing through._

_“Lord Sesshoumaru! Jaken!” Rin's excited voice cut in, running to him._

_In many respects, she'd not changed since the day they met. She was still innocent and caring, despite the horrors that she'd seen in her life._

_“Rin,” the demon remarked, inclining his head towards her ever so slightly._

_“It's great to see you, my Lord. Kohaku and I were just deciding on what we were going to have for our dinner. If you like, you may stay and share in our food with us,” she offered. “It isn't much, but I promise it will be good.”_

_It was odd to hear. It was her offering him a meal in her own home, inviting him as her guest for the first time. It was a welcome show of respect, but not one which Sesshoumaru intended to take her up on. It was enough to see this village, despite his misgivings, and to know that Rin was alright. Even if he'd not intentionally made his way here._

_“I was simply passing through,” he answered shortly. “I have no need for your hospitality.”_

_There was a moment where her eyes lowered at the comment. He knew, that she knew, what he had really said, but it was clear she was disappointed all the same._

_“But I thank you for it,” Sesshoumaru followed with a moment later. “Jaken, we are leaving.”_

_“Of course, my lord!”_

_“Wait, Lord Sesshoumaru,” Rin said, reaching out and grasping his sleeve. It was something he'd have killed anyone else for doing without his permission. “We found something you may want-”_

_“Rin-” Kohaku cut in, but she turned and stared him down. It was clear he was conflicted by what they'd found._

_“Wait here my lord, just let me get prepared and I'll take you there.”_

_Running back into her simple home, Rin came out a few minutes later, wearing the kimono that he'd given her several years earlier. It was orange and white, the same as the one he'd found her as a child. For once, he gave a very, very rare, small smile as she came to his side, smiling up at him in turn._

_“This way, my lord.”_

_She was still always respectful to him. His name was always given the appropriate title. Despite the number of times she'd been threatened, or harmed because of her connection to him, he knew this human woman loved him as the only family she'd ever known. In an odd way, he supposed that did make her something to him, beyond the idle fascination he'd always claimed. The love her felt for her, must have been close to what it would have been for a parent to feel towards their child. It was a feeling he'd never experienced for himself, and likely never would._

_“Jaken,” Kohaku said after a moment, sitting down on a small bench near the side of the road, and gesturing to his side._

_“My lord-”_

_“Stay here,” Sesshoumaru ordered, before feeling himself being quietly guided by his charge._

_“I don't see what you could have found, that would mean Lord Sesshoumaru has to travel without me, his greatest companion!” Jaken shouted from behind as they walked out of the village._

_They must have walked in silence for almost fifteen minutes, heading on their short journey. It was as familiar as this place seemed. It reminded him of the days they'd walked through the lands, if only to find new challenges awaiting him. In that window of minutes, she wasn't the woman who'd just married Kohaku, moving into an obscure village to begin her new life. Instead, she was the nine-year-old girl, walking patiently and obediently at his side, and always having faith in his every action. Every moment ever felt, was always locked in the past, and this was no different._

_“Inuyasha said that you were never close to anyone but me,” she said after a minute. “But I know you care a lot about Jaken, and you cared a lot about Ah-Un.”_

_There was silence on Sesshoumaru's side, never willing to openly admit any such weaknesses. Were it anyone else, he'd have flatly denied it._

**_I, Sesshoumaru, care for no one._ **

_But that'd already proven to be a lie. In some villages, he'd been called the demon which wanders with the young girl, only further showing how the truth would eventually find its way to the light. It was best not to speak of the truth, then to lie about it. Instead, he turned and stared at her, noticing the setting sun in the distance, barely touching the edge of the water. The sky turned almost orange, mixing itself in with a brilliant display of red as the light passed through the clouds and air around it._

_When she looked back towards him, smiling as they arrived at the obscure location, he merely gave her a questioning look._

_In the middle of a bed of flowers, not far from a small pond breaking up the sea of beautiful white flowers, Sesshoumaru saw a small stone shrine. It was perhaps only up to his waist, and showed all the signs of a hand made enterprise. It reminded him immediately of where he was. His nose drew in the scent, remembering exactly where he was standing. He'd stood in this spot ten years earlier. The question as to how Rin knew this place mattered to him, or **may** have mattered to him, didn't even come to his mind as he just looked at the stone shrine._

_On the stones, carved with care despite its simplistic design, said a very simple phrase._

_“The Wind Must be Free.”_

_An odd sorrow crept into his heart he'd not felt in years, as he was dragged back into moments years earlier._

_The light continued to dim as his golden eyes appraised the small pile of simple square stones. This was how humans remembered their past. They marked the land with their dead, and their memories. Even his father had taken on the practice in his final wishes. This shrine was the marker for the last moments in a life which may have deserved to be longer._

_“We found this,” Rin said, reaching into her kimono and pulling out what appeared to be an old, worn fan, with red splashed inside of it._

_It answered how they knew this was the place in seconds. It was Kagura's fan._

_Kagura, Naraku's detachment, the woman who would be free by any price. The woman who'd asked him to kill Naraku. The second time they'd met, she'd shouted at him furiously when he never took up her proposal. Even if he had, she'd have still met her fate. Everything tied to Naraku, died before the jewel was finally destroyed._

_But even with that being the case, the slow beat of his heart didn't stop while he reached out, taking the frail piece into his hand and looking at it. It'd been damaged by water, and stained with mud, but it was certainly the same fan which Kagura had used. It was the last thing she'd carried before she died in this field._

_“Kohaku told me how Kagura saved him from Hakudoshi. If it'd not been for her, he'd have died long before Kikyo could have saved him. It was important to him that we built this after he found it. He didn't want there to be nothing to remember her by. She was his friend, and I know she was your friend too. I know that...” Rin paused in her comments, looking almost choked herself. “I know you wanted to make sure everything she did wasn't in vain. So, I told Kohaku, the next time we saw you, that you should take the fan with you.”_

_The texture on it was rough from the weather, even on the grip. It was nothing but a broken old fan, of a dead woman. It was a hollow sentiment that humans carried, taking on things of the deceased as if to somehow take on a piece of the dead with them through life. It was a ridiculous notion. Spirits carried on, and lingered at injustice. The injustice of the wind sorceress's death, was long since avenged._

**_“I've had enough...”_ **

_They were the last words she'd ever uttered, and they were incomplete. The only thing that finished what she said, were the eyes that stared back at him as she died, and he, Sesshoumaru, still didn't even know what they meant. It plagued him for a second time since Rin had taken him here, here to this make-shift grave._

_Taking one final look at the fan, he felt himself almost say something, but what he didn't know. Looking back towards Rin, despite her own sadness, wearing her typical warm smile. She'd not just done all this for Kagura, she'd done this for him. Was it meant to be some kind of human closure? What was the purpose of all this? Normally, he didn't even desire to know why humans did the things they did, but now he had to ask._

_“Kagura died, ten years ago,” he remarked bluntly. “It hardly matters if anyone else remembers her.”_

_“It does,” she countered, her voice sincere. “Because she was here. People should remember her for the good things she did, and for the life she had, even if it was short. One day, when I'm gone, I hope other people want to remember me too. I hope that people who care about me have things to remember me by.”_

_Moving his hand back towards her, brushing his thumb against the fan one last time, he gestured for her to take it._

_“I am sure Kagura, will be remembered by Kohaku and Inuyasha's friends,” he remarked. “I do not need the fan.”_

_“Keep it,” Rin urged, pressing her hands against it and sliding his arm back towards himself. “For some reason, I think she'd want you to have it.”_

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Sesshoumaru:**

A folded piece of cloth, under his kimono and armour, slowly began to stain with blood. The idea that it was being _ruined_ at all, sat unwell with the dog demon. Inside of it, lay the very trinkets he'd once rejected, a small piece of the lives left behind him. Slowly he managed to gather himself, returning his concentration to the demon in front of him. With the limp his opponent had, this would battle could finally start to turn his way.

Hobbling forward, Romulus held his shield up for a brief moment, before his two doubles appeared at his sides.

“An impressive sword, if there ever was one, Lord Sesshoumaru,” he remarked. “But the Aegis provides me with a way to circumvent its power. Do you think yourself the first poison demon-lord I've faced? I've faced hundreds like you.”

Instead of the centre copy moving out of the three, the one with the damaged leg, the one to the right did. As soon as he did, the other two copies disappeared, leaving only the demon with a good leg left. It wasn't as if the leg was healed, because what he'd done was just _remake_ himself in some other frame. Narrowing his eyes as he carefully began to step back, Sesshoumaru began to realize what this Romulus had done. He'd kept him on the defensive for the majority of this battle already, aggressively pressing into him, but fighting defensively himself... aggressive war, defensive battle.

“You've never faced another demon like me,” Sesshoumaru answered him.

“As arrogant as any other, I see,” Romulus responded, his smile slowly growing. “In Africa, I faced down a demon such as yourself. Apep thought himself unique as well. Though he was more of a snake, rather then a dog.”

Comparing him to a lowly Snake demon? How disgusting.

Before the conversation could continue further, Sesshoumaru readied his Bakusaiga for the next stage in the battle. His injuries would slow him, no matter what he thought of them. It was then that Romulus threw his left arm out, and began to spin. The force of the movement was heavy, even as far back as he was, Sesshoumaru could feel the momentum of each swing where he stood. Suddenly, the other demon threw his shield as a giant discus. The Bakusaiga offered little chance to deflect the object, and it ploughed into his chest and gut, sending him flying back. It was no short journey as well.

Sailing through the air, the dog demon found himself grasping the edge of the shield, trying to regain control, even as his now broken ribs protested. In the air he felt himself spinning with the discus as he travelled kilometre after kilometre. Finally his body came to a harsh landing, crashing legs and back first into the ground. There was no graceful roll this time as the Earth shattered around him, and his body carved a path through the soil, before bumping into the stone well behind him. Blood seeped from his wounds, slowly beginning to cover the shield which was imbedded in his gut. His eyes felt almost hollow as he looked ahead, seeing Romulus landing across from him in the small, open field.

_“Sesshoumaru.”_

It sounded almost as if his father was speaking to him. Even in the haze of it all, the logical part of the dog demon's brain was already telling him it was very much unlikely to be Inu no Taisho.

From behind Romulus, he slowly saw the figure of a little girl emerge, wearing a bright orange and white kimono. Time almost seemed to start to slow down as he did, not even able to feel himself breathing. From other side, a tiny demon with a frog like appearance appeared. The recognition was instant, as he saw his two longest companions staring at him. Rin, and Jaken were somehow coming into his view.

_“Lord Sesshoumaru.”_

The dead were calling him. In this vacuum he could see them, and he felt the Tenseiga pulse for the first time in decades. Dying at the hands of this Romulus made his stomach turn with disgust. He was hardly his equal, despite the direction which the battle had turned. This was his failure, more then anyone else's.

From behind the Roman however, another figure stepped into view behind Jaken, wearing his bright red kimono as always. The familiar golden eyes, a trait passed down to him from their father, told him all too well who it was. Inuyasha, his half brother, now stared back at him with the same determination he often had, despite his inadequacies as a half-demon.

From the other side, what appeared to be the last figure stepped out. Carrying an undamaged fan, and giving him a mischievous look, Kagura stood behind Rin, slowly raising her fan while looking at him. The wind sorceress smiled back at him, the same as Rin was.

_“Sesshoumaru.”_

In the shadow of all of it, he could see his father. It was the same shadow that he'd run so far to escape from, and finally had with his Bakusaiga. All of these figures showed in his vision because he was losing too much blood, he already determined. Mild hallucinations brought on by the failure of certain parts of his body, and trauma to his head. Perhaps they were calling him to finally rest, but the sentiment was ignored.

_I, Sesshoumaru, will not simply roll over and die._

Time seemed to come back alive a second later as Romulus walked towards him.

Gritting his teeth as he pushed himself up, feeling the shield pull itself out of his midsection, and fly back into the hands of Romulus, he just breathed heavily. A foe who could heal himself from the injuries created by Bakusaiga, was faster than he was, stronger than he was, and protected by a shield which could absorb his energy and throw it back at him. That was also forgetting the formidable sword as well. But even as he went through the list of problems to overcome, the idea that Romulus was his equal, let alone his superior, never came to the fore.

“You barbarians are always so amusing to watch crumble and fall,” Romulus commented as he prepared himself for the final assault.

This would be the final stage of the fight, unless he managed to force the Roman to overplay his hand.

_The shield._

Yellow eyes locked on to the ornate object before turning back to Romulus, narrowing.

“Did you ever learn to hold your tongue, and to fight? Or will you try to win this battle with your words, instead of your sword?”

An arrogant smirk crossed the other demon's face before he pushed his shield up, and charged towards him. The front of the large round shield was seemingly going to be used as a battering ram once again, and Sesshoumaru prepared for it. Only as he closed, Romulus swung the shield back, crashing across the left side of his face. Numbing pain immediately overtook the entire side of his head. The shield cleared past his head, before violently coming back towards him, slamming the inside of the shield into the other side of his face. Blood exploded from his nose and mouth, before the shield came back around once more in a lightning quick motion. This time the impact bruised the inside of his cheek so badly he thought the skin would breech. It didn't matter however. Moving his arm up and shifting his body to one side, he shoved his arm into the inside of Romulus's left arm, holding his shield out and in place, neutralizing it for now, and exposing his enemy to his response.

The Spatha shot in to stab his guts again, only finding the side of the well instead. The red blade bounced off the stone, something which would have surprised Sesshoumaru were it not for the bitter revenge he intended to visit upon the foreign demon. His talons glowing, and his enemy's defences averted, the dog demon slashed his claws across the right side of Romulus's face. Blood and poison splashed into the air from the five wounds as the sound of flesh hissing entered the air. In the same motion Romulus had used with his shield to bludgeon him, Sesshoumaru then swept his hand and claws back down, slashing down the other side of the face. A cry of stifled pain escaped the mouth of the other demon, before Sesshoumaru stepped into him, headbutting the other demon despite the pain in his own head. The skin around his own forehead broke from the impact, but even with his helmet Romulus stumbled back, disoriented.

Now was the time.

  
With a twist of his now freed right arm, and his enemy still vulnerable, Sesshoumaru gripped his blade as tightly as he could before letting energy surged through it.

“I, Sesshoumaru, am not a barbarian.”

With that, he unleashed the Bakusaiga. The wave of toxic energy exploded forward before colliding head on with Romulus. The ground was swept away by it, any chunks which had come into the air burning in the haze of green power. Standing opposite the destruction, his back to the stone well, Sesshoumaru just tried to keep his lungs working. Even a demon could suffer only so many injuries before being overwhelmed, and he was no different.

As the venomous smoke began to clear in front of him, he could only hear a struggling gurgling sound at first. When finally Romulus came into view, what was left was a rotting, burning body. It trembled to stand in its melting state. Blood oozed from open wounds as his flesh and body began to eat away from the power of the Bakusaiga.

With the last embers of strength, it looked like he pushed his shield in front of himself, his entire body in agony, perhaps a last-ditch effort to defend himself. Or, Sesshoumaru realized, he was healing himself once again. Within a heartbeat the doubles appeared to his left, and right, before the destroyed body and another simply disappeared. What was left standing there was a completely refreshed, completely healed Romulus.

He was still trembling for a moment, clearly still from the after-effects of his body being bathed in the energy from Bakusaiga. Any signs of calm, or arrogance had washed away. Instead the monster in front of him snarled almost like an animal as he coped with the pain of the phantom injuries. Taking a step forward, the would-be conqueror seemed to just seethe, before slowly allowing his composure to return.

“You know, in over two thousand years, I've yet to face an enemy who has caused me nearly this much pain. I had honestly expected this battle to be much more brief. That determination of yours is truly a credit to you and your kind. Your sire must have been of an impeccable bloodline,” he remarked simply. “It would have been an honour to kill any creature which could have produced a demon with your strength. It is a shame you have no siblings or offspring for me to kill as well.”  
  


It was all that shield. The shield he hid behind gave him the power to survive these assaults, and split his spirit and reconstitute his body. Disarm him of the shield, the Aegis, and he would surely fall to his blade. This would not be his final battle, he would win.

“You are a fool to expect to win this battle,” Sesshoumaru uttered. “Your weakness is undeniable.”

With that, he prepared himself for their final clash. The arm would be severed, or he would be severed, there was no longer any choice. With a look of confidence however, Romulus made his charge. The shield he bore lay at the heart of his motion, prepared to deflect any attack. As with every other instance, Sesshoumaru knew he had to think around what was happening. In a split second, he shifted to one side, dodging around him, only to be shoved by the shield itself a moment later. His legs caught the side of the well, and the demon-lord flipped over the side. Looking up, he only saw Romulus look down at him as he plunged to the bottom, his eyes written with disgust.

“For all my high praise, you still find a way to fail,” he chuckled, before leaping the side of the well himself, plunging after him.

As soon as his back in the ground, Sesshoumaru raised his sword, deflecting the blade aimed at his chest, diving down towards him. Swiftly moving his legs and kicking out, he flipped the Roman away from him in the cramped space. As soon as Romulus's shield hit the ground and he rolled back to his feet however, the ground around them began to glow with an unearthly blue energy. It shifted in almost slow motion around them into a world of light and noise, before it felt as if the world around them was merely liquid. What had been reality once, simply bled away. In this world of darkness and light, the two of them were left helpless almost, save for the glowing shield. The Aegis seemed to burn in in the darkness, the very metal upon its surface catching fire. A rift below them seemed to swallow them up as well. It was as if nothing changed.

The well was no different, the clay and stone walling around them seemed little different.

“What... what have you done?!” the cry escaped.

Turning his head forward, his body still ravaged with injuries, Sesshoumaru looked on to see what had become of the Aegis. The steel, or in this case, Bronze, it was comprised of, had degraded. It aged a thousand years every moment, before finally dwindling into dust, leaving nothing behind of its presence. Looking up at him with murderous eyes, Romulus snarled, revealing fangs. His once almost human eyes turned into a bloody red.

Though he would love to take credit for the feat, it seemed as though the shield had done it all by itself.

“Without your shield, your weakness is apparent to all, especially I, Sesshoumaru.”

With a quick motion, Sesshoumaru bound up the side of the well, clearing the top of the well in only a moment. He needed room to manoeuvre. As soon as his feet landed on the soil outside of the well however, the nose of the dog demon picked up the world around him. It was familiar, yet changed. The smell of humans was diminished, and strong demonic energies rolled through the world around him. But there were more then just those scents in the air. Something familiar touched the edge of his nose, just as the well behind him burst with power as Romulus made his exit.

_Inuyasha._

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**_Sesshoumaru: Eleven Years After Naraku's Defeat._ **

_What was strength? What was it truly worth? Where did it come from?_

_For the dog demon Sesshoumaru, for himself, he knew very much where it came from. It came from within him, and it came from his blood. The blood passed through him by his father had blessed him with more power then most other demons could ever dream of. But that was his strength, or at least it appeared to be. His task now, showed him that not all strength was generated from within._

_It'd been Rin who'd made the request of him to find his lowly half-brother. Had it been anyone else, he very much doubted he would have taken any interest in this task. Perhaps if someone else had asked him to find Inuyasha, he may have stumbled across him, if only to satisfy his curiosity. His own quest, his own quest to test himself had drive him to the furthest point north on the island chains of Japan. Another challenge for his blade had met its end, proving to him once again that the only true challenge for him had died almost a century earlier. Inuyasha had served as a poor substitute himself, but with the Tetsusaiga at least he'd held some of their father's power. The half demon had been the closest one to be worthy of challenging him._

_But even his brother had fallen short. Nothing could fill the void of what he'd been denied, in losing the opportunity to face his father for himself._

_Finding Inuyasha however, was not on his quest for strength, it was to try and mend together his distanced family, one which had been visited by an unexpected tragedy. To Sesshoumaru, it was in hindsight not hard to imagine. Kagome had trouble, according to his last meeting with humans, delivering her first two children. A human woman with thin hips and in his eyes, a frail look, didn't seem likely to survive labour. The dog demon's cold heart even turned heavy when Rin informed him that Kagome and her new child, apparently a girl, did not survive the event of childbirth._

_The night's sky blanketed the world with stars, and the moon hung in the sky, showing only a crack of itself down to the world below. Walking with his usual slow pace, the demon had been following the scent of the half-demon for days now, but now the smell was unmistakably close. Through the trees and brush around him, golden eyes seemed to catch the glimpse of the edge of the robe of the fire rat, hanging in a barren tree. He'd found his much sought-after prey._

_Stepping into the clearing, seeing the figure just sitting there on the branches looking into the sky, the half-demon just stared into the distance, looking into the sky for some kind of answer to a question Sesshoumaru wouldn't think to ask. There was no denying the younger of the two of them, knew he was there, even **he** would have smelled him, or heard him by now._

_“Inuyasha,” Sesshoumaru said, now expecting a response._

_Instead, it was muted. Silence was never what his brother had specialized in, it was hardly one of his virtues. His weakness was clear and overwhelming. No amount of sorrow had crippled Sesshoumaru as this had crippled Inuyasha. The death of his father had brought on more anger, then sorrow. The death of Rin had brought him pain and sorrow, but it hadn't crippled him. Kagura's death brought him a profound sadness as well, it even still often itched at the back of his mind, but to anyone outside they would never see that._

_But his brother sat in a tree, gazing at stars, and for what?_

_“Inuyasha,” he repeated, this time his voice sterner._

_It shouldn't take more then a name to get him to be addressed. It shouldn't take more then saying a name to get the creature that used to be his brother to awaken, and return to his home to look after the two children he was now the sole parent of._

_“Go away,” Inuyasha said finally, his voice quiet and betraying the pain he felt in that moment._

_No one gave an order to him, and few had the permission to even give a request. Inuyasha was not in the latter category either. So instead he stood there, before turning his own gaze to the heavens. Oddly, as the silence overtook them, he felt the small bond they had. It was not his role to comfort his brother however, if this silent standoff happened to help his brother, that was of little concern to him._

_“She left me,” Inuyasha finally choked after a moment. “I thought... I thought after everything... I...”_

_Left was such a kinder word then what it was. She'd died. She left in the same way that Kagura left, or his brother's former lover Kikyo. He'd seen the underworld for himself, and never found any signs of what he'd expected. Their father wasn't there waiting for him, even as he purified the next life, and saved Rin from her fate there, it hardly contained anything he'd hoped for, or expected. When someone... left... they disappeared into the ether, perhaps one day to find reincarnation, as Kikyo had as Kagome. The Kagome girl had supposedly come from five hundred years in the future, how many years would any of them wait before they could see anyone who was lost? But even then, as Kagome proved, they weren't the same as they were before. It was a new life, with the spirit of the old._

_“I loved her and she's gone,” Inuyasha said in a hoarse tone. “We spent every night under the stars before we went to sleep, because she said wanted to see how beautiful the night was. She's just... she's **gone!** ”_

_Turning in the tree almost angrily, his half brother bore his fangs towards him, tears clearly in his eyes. The red veins showing up around his yellow eyes showed the depth of his tears. He did little to conceal his sadness, normally something Sesshoumaru would have looked down on. Instead he felt a pang of pity for the half demon he'd resented for so long until near the end of Naraku's games._

_He had no words of comfort to provide his brother however, the only thing he could offer him was the future._

_“Your children are attended by your neighbours and grieving friends. Would you shame the woman by leaving them behind to sit in a tree and weep?”_

_They were the wrong words, and Sesshoumaru could see that the moment his brother heard them. His brother was trembling with anger and sorrow._

_“What do you know!? You've never lost anyone you love! You don't even know what love is!” Inuyasha shouted in a sorrow fuelled rage, twisting on the branch before landing in front of him, tearing through the world around them before grabbing his older brother by his armour._

_Staring back at his brother, Sesshoumaru's normal response was withheld, instead just staring into his brother's eyes impassively._

_“One day,” Sesshoumaru said to him in his normal, yet serious tone. “You may find her again, in this life or the next.”_

_His half-brother had done it before. In this very life, he found Kikyo once, and then Kagome, her reincarnation. It was hardly his concern if his brother was happy however. Even as he stared back at him however, the elder of the two demons did his best to remind himself of that, though he was confused why he'd shared even one comforting word with the half-demon._

_His brother seemed to pause all the same, staring back at him as his anger drained away, replaced only by a sorrow filled look. Inuyasha's tears were almost seemingly forcibly sucked back into his eyes as he struggled to restrain them. Instead of Inuyasha throwing a punch, or breaking down, he just stood across from him, reading more into his words then he should have._

_“Why did you come here?”_

_“I promised Rin I would find you, and take you back to your village.”_

_With those words, his brother turned around and climbed back into his tree, turning his eyes back towards the night sky, this time clearly looking towards the moon. What he saw in all of this, Sesshoumaru didn't know._

_“I'll go home in the morning, you can go now,” Inuyasha promised, his voice distant._

_Walking under the branches where his brother sat, Sesshoumaru looked into the sky himself from beneath._

_“What are you looking for in these stars, Inuyasha? What do you see?”_

_“I see her,” he admitted quietly. “I see the past. I dunno... I already said you could go.”_

_“I, Sesshoumaru, promised to deliver you back to your responsibilities and village. I will not go before that task is done.”_

_The branches above him stiffened for a moment before the younger demon tensed, the implication being clear._

_“Are you going to force me to go back tonight?” Inuyasha asked, sounding distant but worried for a brief second in time._

_“No,” Sesshoumaru answered quietly, staring into the stars himself, looking for what Inuyasha was looking for._

_In the night sky, Inuyasha seemed to find his outlet for his grief, staring into the great darkness and light. For the remainder of that night, the two dog demons stood there. The entire time Sesshoumaru was there, he waited for his brother to finish his mourning, diligently not leaving his side._

_Even if he never admitted to anyone, least of all himself._

_Forty years later, Inuyasha found his end. But he'd met his end when the human he loved, left without him._

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**Sesshoumaru:**

Landing behind him, Romulus sneered again, cracking his neck from side to side before shifting his focus to the red glowing blade in his hand. The same red energy flicked off his entire body now while he prepared himself for combat. Turning about to face him, Sesshoumaru's body protested at every move. Quietly, he changed his own footing and prepared for what was to come. Many more avenues of attack were now available to him, those avenues seemed to evaporate in seconds however, as the red energy sparked around his Roman counterpart.

Eyes widening, Sesshoumaru felt the massive build up of demon energy. As soon as Romulus pulled his sword back, he knew exactly what was coming.

“ **Imperial Slash!** ”

As soon as the blade cut through the air, red power exploded into the world from the tip of the blade. The ground beneath him began to break apart seemingly at the very thought of being met by such a force. With a quick motion of his own, focusing his demonic energies, Sesshoumaru responded.

“ **Bakusaiga!** ”

The green energy cut through the air as well, before colliding with the red. The trees around them blistered at the wind generated by the two destructive aura's colliding, but only for a moment. Green disappeared into the red, before the tsunami of force rolled through towards him. Only at the last moment did Sesshoumaru dive out of the way. Behind him kilometres of forest were annihilated in a heartbeat. Human cries appeared in the distance, as well as the terrified shrieks of animals. The human village nearby would likely be kindling for the conflict between himself and Romulus.

As soon as he was able to rise to his feet, even at high speeds, he looked up only to find a harsh fist slamming into his face. It was enough to send his head spinning again before he slashed the Bakusaiga towards his foe, only to see it deflected. Within a heartbeat it was Sesshoumaru parrying Romulus's own strike. In a flurry of motion, the two blades collided, before swinging apart only to find their reunion once more. Each vicious motion lead to another terrible clang of two blades. Each time the blows came, Bakusaiga resonated unnaturally from the impact with the other blade.

_There is too much demonic energy coming from the blade. I must get past his defence._

Before he could even dream of acting on his instincts, the Spatha came around once more, this time connecting with his sword's guard, cutting the edge of one of his fingers as it did. The Bakusaiga flipped into the air helplessly, freed violently from the dog demon's hand. A surprised noise escaped Sesshoumaru, before he grasped the Tenseiga, blocking the next blow. It was his father's fang which protected him again, even if only in desperation.

“You thought me defeated without my shield,” Romulus breathed angrily. “Foolish dog, it just means my sword has full access to my power!”

Another crackling bolt of red energy drew up the blade, before he unleashed it once more. There was red light all around him, and Sesshoumaru felt his body almost seemingly catch fire. The dog demon's clothes burned and the remains of his armour shattered, his grip became weak as he felt the last tatters of his own demonic energy leaking away from him. A dark blue energy burst from the hilt of the Tenseiga as it desperately reached out, trying to protect its master. The fang tried its best to defend him. The last part of his father, even after all these centuries, _still_ tried to defend him. It wasn't appreciated, as it wasn't about whether he would fall or not. It was whether he fell on his _own_ or not.

The force wave that collided with him a moment later, blasted him from the good graces of the ground below. Carried inside the red wave, the Dog Demon flew for hundreds of metres, before slamming back first into the ground. Mud was mangled by his first impact, before he flipped helplessly twice more. When his journey ended, the noble demon was half face first in the mud, his left eye opened and staring up at the tree before him.

Even the Tenseiga was spent, save for one final pulse, as it weakly urged him forward. His will to fight had yet to die, but his body itself was beginning to betray him. His one golden eye saw what was imbedded in the tree itself. The familiar scent he'd detected the moment he emerged from the well, revealed itself to be none other then the half demon himself. It seemed impossible, given that he knew full well his brother's fate. The arrow in his chest was part of a seal, which held him in place.

How?

This was no trickery on behalf of his adversary, nor was it any sorcery from the Teneiga. Every sense he had told him that it was the half-demon, alive, and in the flesh in front of him. The pulse from the Tenseiga almost seemed to prove it all as well.

This was the state Inuyasha had been left in by the one named Kikyo. This was where he fell to her arrow because of the plot of Naraku and the Shikon Jewel. Which meant either this world was a complete illusion, or that he had been thrown into the past.

Slowly, Inuyasha's eyes seemed to open, as if Tenseiga was calling him out.

“... What the Hell are you doing here?” Inuyasha asked, looking at Sesshoumaru with angry eyes.

It'd been the Tenseiga which must have drawn out Inuyasha from his cursed slumber, reacting to the blood of the one his father desired he protect.

There was no time to answer for Sesshoumaru when he pulled himself up, soaked unceremoniously in mud. Turning his head sharply, he saw Romulus already upon him. Raising the Tenseiga to block, he felt all the power which remained in the blade, drain in one final pulse. As soon as the Spatha made contact with it, the fang which his father had given him, the broken off piece of Tetsusaiga, shattered. Fragments of the steel poured into the air as a cloud of metal, as the top half of the blade seemingly evaporated. Golden eyes looked on in shock, before the arc of the red glowing European blade cut him down the front of his chest. His kimono slit open, revealing his chest and previous wounds, blood splattered into the air as the dog demon felt himself fall to his knees, his power all but broken.

A vicious backhand followed, slapping his form into the mud.

“All my prey end this way, Sesshoumaru,” Romulus said. “All of them start so high and mighty, and in the mud in the end. There is no shame in being inferior to me, as all others are... **Barbarian.** ”

The Roman reached down, grasping him by the top of his hair and pulling him back up to his knees. Sharp breaths escaped the demon lord as he looked up defiantly in his last moments, seeing the look of satisfaction on the other demon's face.

“My final conquest.”

With that, Romulus pulled back his blade once more, intending this time to take his head.

The sound of feet rushing through the grass around them startled both demons. By the time Sesshoumaru's eyes shifted, he saw only a blur of red.

“ **Iron Reaver!** ”

Arcs of golden energy flicked through the air before Inuyasha blasted past the two of them. Blood saturated Sesshoumaru, but this time, it was the blood of Romulus. The arm which held his blade, at the elbow, simply fell away as it was cut free by the once bound half-demon. There was surprise written on the other demon's face as he tried to realize what had just happened to his arm. Slowly his jaw dropped before turning to look at it.

It was infuriating that his brother had intervened in his battle, but there was no time to dwell or think on it.

The moment to strike arrived.

Poison dripped from Sesshoumaru's right set of claws. With no reprisal from the Spatha to respond, the dog demon shoved his claws into the abdomen of his attacker in his moment of distraction and weakness. Toxic claws tore through the chest piece as the demonic energies which had once strengthened it, were broken by Romulus's loss of concentration. Flesh was torn through without any effort, as Sesshoumaru's hand came through the other side of the demon's chest. He struggled to keep his own arm steady at the gargantuan it took merely to lash out as he had. Breathing heavily, Sesshoumaru pulled himself up from his knees, blood bursting from his wounds as he moved.

“How?” Romulus wheezed as their roles reversed.

The Roman's legs gave way as he fell to his knees, struggling to breath as he just looked up at Sesshoumaru with confused eyes, unable to see how this fate had befallen him. There was a moment of understanding between the two warriors. It was the understanding of victory, and defeat.

Pulling his arm out of the chest, blood burst from the wound.

“I, Sesshoumaru, could never be defeated by a demon as lowly as yourself.”

With that, and one final push, he slashed his deadly fingers towards the neck. Flesh tore and burned, and blood blasted upward as the head was cut clear from the body. The look of surprise never left the Roman demon's face as it lifted into the air, before slapping the ground without any fanfare a few meters away. The headless body bowed before him, by falling to the muddy ground below, utterly lifeless.

Breathing heavily, trying his best to even stand, Sesshoumaru painfully closed his eyes before trying to take even a few steps forward, unable to even think clearly as to what to do.

“Well Sesshoumaru, looks like your friend's all out of steam. Guess its my turn to finish you off then,” Inuyasha offered smarmily from the side, grinning at the advantage he knew he held.

Turning his head towards him, now having time to remark, ignoring most of what Inuyasha had just said, the older brother made an off handed, annoying comment.

“You shouldn't... have interfered.”

The amused look on Inuyasha's face however, shifted to one of a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and uncertainty. Sesshoumaru felt his balance collapse around him as he tried to remaining standing. The world began to spin and then quickly turned into darkness.

The final thought the demon-lord had was a simple one.

_Where am I?_


	2. Chapter II: Sword of the Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An enemy dead, but his legacy not ended, and new encounters with old foes.

** Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Inuyasha, or really any other property. Thank you. **

** Being Alive **

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** Chapter II: Sword of the Fallen **

**Sesshoumaru:**

There was a hazy fog all around him as something briefly snapped him back into the world, even if his eyes were still yet to open. The feeling in his fingers was almost unreal as he felt his senses slowly come back to life. The pain in his chest, face, and abdomen for a few more moments was numbed, before hotly coming back to life. Inflammation caused his wounds to push into muscles and bones around him. His body was ravaged with injuries and he'd nearly been killed by an unworthy foe. The memories of the day before came alive as soon as his wounds did, leaving him with more questions then anything else. How was it, that Inuyasha was alive? Let alone alive yet pierced through the chest, and imbedded in a tree, as he was centuries earlier?

Slowly, golden eyes opened to the world, feeling a cold breeze brush past him. The torn-up ruin of earth all around him still showed clear signs of the battle. The only thing that was out of place was the dozen dead human warriors which lay strewn about the ground around where he and his enemy had traded blows. It was then he realized he was already sitting, up against a tree no less. This meant he'd been moved from where he'd fallen. Reaching his hand over his wounds, he felt crude bandages made of torn cloth covering a few of his wounds. It was very clear to him however, that it was shreds from his ruined kimono.

Noise from his left told him that Inuyasha was still there, and was probably several metres away from him. It seemed reasonable to assume that he'd killed the human men who littered the ground in front of him, likely men who would have slain him if they'd found him unconscious.

“Awake, huh?” Inuyasha asked, sounding amused. “I had to patch you up, just to see just why the _high and mighty_ Sesshoumaru was about to lose a battle to someone.”

The resentment in his voice was refreshing, and most assuredly reminded him of the past. They'd had their arguments before his death as well, but they were often of a more mature nature. This gave Sesshoumaru an answer to what was happening entirely. This was the _past_. But how? How was he here and not-

_The well. The well we plunged into was the Bone Eater's Well... and the demon's shield responded to the magic there, opening the portal to this time and place._

The Bone Eater's Well was the same method of transportation which Kagome used to jump between time as well. This immediately created a problem, as Tenseiga had freed Inuyasha in its final moments before being shattered by Romulus. This created no heart ache for him by any means, but this most certainly created a fork in the road of time. It was a _shame_ that his father's sword was broken, but it'd long since served its purpose for him. He'd learned the lessons it'd tried to teach.

  
This also meant his brother was even _more_ immature, and _ignorant_. Which of course would make him even _more_ unbearable. The quest for his father's sword was long since dead, especially when he'd overcome it and discovered the Bakusaiga within himself.

“What? Got nothing to say to the lowly half-breed who just saved your life?” Inuyasha mocked. “What is all this stupid junk anyway?'

The latter word caught Sesshoumaru's attention, turning his head and shifting his eyes to view his half-sibling. Outrage swelled in his stomach as he saw Inuyasha standing there, holding _his_ Bakusaiga. A struggled growl left his throat at the sight of Inuyasha touching _his_ blade. It was instinctive more then anything, given their disputes over blades in the past.

“You will relinquish my sword at once, or I will see you cut down, half-breed,” Sesshoumaru assured him, his eyes narrowing as he spoke. “Your assistance was not wanted, or required.”

His pride dictated to him that he'd have been _fine_ without the half demon's assistance, it only further accelerated the demise of Romulus, and nothing more. Certainly, he had made decisions to _assist_ Inuyasha and his friends in the past, but he, Sesshoumaru, never required the same assistance in turn. When ever it was given, it was unneeded, and unwanted.

Further irritation surfaced inside Sesshoumaru when his father's bastard didn't obey his command.

“You're not really in a position to cut anyone down, that's another reason I stuck around, I wanted to see just how gracious you were. Guess I got that part answered, huh? As for the sword? I'm liking the way it looks, maybe I'll keep it. Know what the best part is? You're too screwed up right now to really stop me from doing anything I want.”

_You'd never know how to use it, foolish wretch._

His father's fang, Tessaiga was literally in-tuned to work with Inuyasha, his own blade was meant to work in the palm of his hand alone.

“You've got a bunch of other junk too. Look at this, the sword you broke against the headless weirdo over there. And this one is weird,” Inuyasha reached down, grabbing the folded cloth he'd found clearly when he'd been bandaging him.

The bloodied cloth opened up, revealing the fan Rin had given him so many years ago. Something caused his teeth to almost grind as Inuyasha grabbed the old object, before flipping it open without any regard.

“What the Hell? Are you taking up dancing or something?”

Without further warning, the would-be demon-lord formed his poison whip, lashing it across Inuyasha's body. A yelp of pain escaped the younger dog-demon, before Sesshoumaru whipped him again, forcing Inuyasha to the ground.

“You will not touch **anything** which belongs to me. You will deliver me my swords, and the fan, **now.”**

“Like Hell-...Agh!”

Without a moment's hesitation, Sesshoumaru whipped him again, leading to another pained cry. Hurriedly, Inuyasha rose to his feet, before throwing the sword to his brother's feet, and dropping the fan recklessly at his side.

“I'm outta here anyway. I'm gonna go find the Shikon Jewel and Kikyo,” Inuyasha commented. “You can have your stupid sword and fan.”

“That seems highly improbable,” Sesshoumaru responded. “The woman named Kikyo is dead, and the jewel was burned with her body.”

The look on the half-demon’s face switched to one of shock. A near _complete_ shock. Perhaps that was the look on his face before the woman he loved had betrayed him unexpectedly, all those years prior.

There was a long, long pause on behalf of Inuyasha that followed his devastated appearance. The half-demon was predictable enough as well, that he could tell he would feign that he no longer cared for either. It was painfully obvious to anyone who _knew_ the fool however, that the opposite was the case.

As if on cue, Inuyasha crossed his arms and turned his head away, closing his eyes arrogantly and dismissively.

“Feh, so what? And how would you know?” Inuyasha growled quietly. “How do you even know who Kikyo is?”

_A valid point, but not one without an answer._

“Word has travelled of the half-demon sealed to a tree by a priestess named Kikyo,” Sesshoumaru responded bluntly. “It was shameful to confirm what was said, that you were imprisoned by a human woman. You bring more disgrace to our blood then father did.”

As of right now, Sesshoumaru hardly intended to begin speaking to Inuyasha about time travel, or anything associated with it. As far as his half-brother was concerned, he was the same Sesshoumaru that he'd met before. As soon as he collected himself, the older dog demon would simply return down the well, much as apparently the woman Kagome did, and from there he would appear on the other side, back in his own time.

Of course, he had no idea _when_ he was. Inuyasha had been sealed away for fifty years, but had this Inuyasha been sealed away for nearly as long? Either way, it didn't matter, he wouldn't be here long.

Still, across from him Inuyasha just seemed to continue to try to harden himself to the news he'd been delivered.

“Whatever, so what if that stupid human got herself killed? The only real problem is the jewel is gone,” Inuyasha declared. “Now I've got to find another way to become a full demon.”

A laudable goal, if it weren't for the fact it was impossible without killing himself.

Reaching down and grasping his sword, Sesshoumaru pushed the bladed tip into the ground, using all his strength to help pull himself up, grabbing the fan as he did with his free hand. Taking slow steps forward, Sesshoumaru's eyes locked onto the small pile of rocks in the distance which he knew to be the well. Behind him, he heard Inuyasha's feet quietly rush into the forest. It'd been shocking to see him again, but it wasn't _his_ half-brother by any means. This was another world, and one which he intended to leave with great haste.

_It is not I, Sesshoumaru's role, to change the world._

Making his way to the well, he stared down into the darkened pit of what was the Bone Eater's Well. Perhaps the Aegis had protected both him and Romulus on his original journey, but he didn't care. He was the son of the Great Dog Demon, and had proven himself to be the most powerful demon alive in his own time, he could survive this as well.

Leaping over the side, the greater-demon expected the ground to give way back to being the fluid like portal it'd been before. He could still smell the demonic energies which allowed the well to operate even. However, as soon as his feet hit the ground, the energies did not respond to him. Weakened legs buckled immediately, as Sesshoumaru planted chest and face first into the ground, his wounds crying out to him for mercy from his rash behaviour.

_... It will not open._

The obvious thought ran through his mind as he slowly started to pick himself up. A frustrated and rare break in his appearance graced him, his lip curling angrily. Venting, he punched his fist into the hard clay at the bottom of the well, but the result was the same, the mouth did not open, it remained shut.

This had grave implications.

This was no longer some other world, whether he liked it or not.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Inuyasha:**

She was _gone._

Even in his first waking moments, where he'd wanted to grab Kikyo and hurt her, he never imagined she was just _gone._ Even when she betrayed him and shot him through the chest, he was confused and didn't understand, but he _still_ loved her. Everything he felt for Kikyo was complicated and bottled up, but the fact she _died_ sat in his stomach like an iron ball. It was the only thing on his mind ever since Sesshoumaru mentioned it. Even the jewel didn't seem to matter, because she was _gone._

Bare feel walked along the forest floor as Inuyasha just moved quietly and at his own pace moving forward, still trying to digest it all. How long had he been like that? Days? Weeks? Months?... Years? There was a cold half laugh that escaped his lips when he realized it didn't matter. Who would miss him? His mother was dead, he'd never known his father, he didn't have any friends... and now he didn't even have Kikyo.

_All that's left for me is what?... It's to become a true demon._

No one would ever accept him as a half-demon. Other demons saw him as an weakling or an abomination, including his own brother. The humans saw him with fear or disgust themselves. He was too demonic to be human, and too human to be demonic. Well it wouldn't matter soon, once he became a full demon and got rid of all the humanity left in him, he wouldn't care anymore about what people thought, he'd be faster and stronger, and he'd be able to put all of this behind him. The only problem was how the Hell was he going to become a full demon without the Jewel of Four Souls?

Looking down at the sword he'd pillaged from the corpse of the strange looking demon, now sitting around his waist through a sash. If this thing could level a forest, he wasn't going to leave it laying around for somebody else to take, even if the sword was a funny shape for a sword. As of right now, he needed to know how long he'd been out for.

Hopping into a tree, Inuyasha sat down on the branches for a moment to look out across the vast landscape before him. In the distance mountains pulled up from the Earth, reaching into the sky with frozen tops all around them. Between them deep valleys revealed themselves, filled with forest and all manner of animal, demon, and man. Breathing in the fresh air, he reminded himself that he was _alive_ again. It was shocking to him that he was free.

When that sword of his pulsed, the arrow in his chest shattered, breaking the curse. It was incredibly ironic that Sesshoumaru of all the things in the world freed him. Anytime his older brother was around ever since they first met it was a struggle for him to just _survive._ Even when he was just a kid, the first time he met Sesshoumaru, his older brother had just called him human tainted trash, and then threatened to kill him if he even attempted to come near. They'd run into one another maybe five other times since then, and if anything, most of them ended with him having to back down and run from his older brother's presence.

It'd been _sweet_ to see him struggling to walk, or breath, or do _anything._ Hell, that was half the reason he kept him alive, barring some _small_ gratitude for him keeping him out of the bind Kikyo had left him in.

_Kikyo._

There that name was again, and suddenly his heart sank all over again. His chest burst into a painful life at the mention of her name again, even though it wasn't spoken aloud.

_Kikyo whatever happened I'm sorry._

Feeling exhausted, he let himself rest against the side of the tree for a moment, before looking out across to the sun in the distance, it was still hanging over the mountains, if only barely. It would be nightfall again soon, and he'd need to find somewhere more secure to sleep. Admittedly, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was sleep now. He'd been in a dreamless sleep for longer then he could imagine.

_“You have slumbered for 48 years, Inuyasha.”_

The feminine voice in his head wasn't his own, it caused him to growl immediately before scanning for anything around him. There was no new scent, and no new demonic auras.

“Who the Hell is there?”

_“You're newest friend.”_

Another growl escaped his lips as he stood up, this time scanning further. Someone was playing games with him, and he wasn't going to stand for it. Demon, human, or another half demon, _no one_ treated him like he was a fool.

_When I find out whose-_

_“I am hardly in a position to play games with you, Inuyasha. I am after all, around your waist.”_

Freezing and startled, the half-demon looked down at the blade currently wedged between his sash and kimono. It was the sword? The sword was possessed by a demon, and he'd not noticed yet because of how much power it must have spent while battling Sesshoumaru, and with its master being defeated.

_“Very observant, Inuyasha. You'll forgive me, I am unaccustomed to your lands... However, I am accustomed to **power**. I am also aware of half-demons. They were once far more common where I originate from. I have also personally helped several ascend to full demonhood... To become a **God** Inuyasha.”_

Staring at the blade intently, Inuyasha felt himself reach over and grasp the hilt of the blade, before drawing the sword, looking at it in the fading sunlight as it reflected back towards him. Just his very hand being on the blade caused its faint glow to return.

“I don't care about being a god, all I care is if you can make me a full-blooded demon.”

_“Then we are going to get along very well, Lord Inuyasha.”_

There was a brief flash of red energy as the dog demon smiled to himself. Well, the Shikon Jewel was gone, but at least he had another tool to get what he wanted.

“So, when do we get started?”

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Naraku:**

Slowly, the mask of Naraku shifted upward as he felt several changes in youkai energies he'd not expected to see in some time. It was apart of making sure his grand plans came to fruition to know what was happening around the island, and it was highly suspicious that a new unknown energy appeared, massive in its origin, and then disappeared. Hellish insects, which acted as his eyes, showed him yet more.

Inuyasha had been freed from the tree which Kikyo condemned him to with her arrow. It was all too fascinating, especially given the source of his liberation appeared to be his brother Sesshoumaru, one of the most powerful demons on the island. Even with the annoying dog awakened however, it didn't return the Jewel of Four Souls to this world, the true object of his desire. His true desire, the jewel, seemingly would never be within his reach again. All the same, the resurrection of Inuyasha did provide him with opportunity.

There would be an opportunity to satisfy at least some of the _hatred_ in his heart, and it was if he saw to it that Inuyasha was killed. It was not his top priority of course, given he already was quite busy with the construction of his latest plot... and his desire to purify his body of the vile taint of Onigumo. It'd been apart of his goals for so long to remove his human heart, but no matter what plot he schemed, it _failed_. All the same, it wouldn't be a concern for much longer, as he came closer and closer to his final victory over his human weakness.

Still, it was hardly as if Inuyasha should go _unchallenged_ in his new life. The half-demon was hardly the strongest on the island either, all he needed to do was inspire one of the older monsters on the island that Inuyasha was worth his time to destroy. There were dozens of monsters strewn around the island who could easily accomplish the feat, but they needed the right incentive. While it was true that Inuyasha's father, Toga, had sealed away many of his defeated enemies, many of them could become challengers to his own position or plans, which ruled most of them out. It certainly ruled out Menomaru, the son of Hyogia, given the power of the demon if his own objectives were fulfilled. Ryukotsusei was most certainly an option, but controlling him could prove difficult, which meant he was only an option so long as Inuyasha was near the dragon. There was apparently a demon named Shishinki as well, but not enough was known of this demon.

It was all about how to play his hand.

_Enjoy your freedom while you can, you pitiful half-demon._

Even in the darkness of the castle with which he resided, Naraku gestured his hand to his side, taking command of insects half way across the island as he honed in on his would-be killer. Instinctively he could almost feel himself taking control of the insects themselves before urging his puppets to new positions. In his eyes, he could see a remote island far to the north. It was obscure and the humans dared not journey there. Within seconds, he felt the magical barrier which wrapped itself tightly around the island.

_Fascinating, this barrier reeks of a dog demon. Only humans could pass such a barrier and they choose not to. Even creatures as feeble minded as humans would eventually learn to avoid such a place. Whatever monster resides here is surely one of power. I will find out whatever I can of the legends revolving around this beast and use it for my own purposes._

A small smile broke out across the 'human' Lord Kagewaki Hitomi as he came to his decision. Looking up with a dark look on his features, he quietly rose to his feet. The humans loyal to this body would serve his purposes as well. Inuyasha would be a mild distraction for him in his quest for power. Despite all the planning that was to go into this, the _second_ of his plots against Inuyasha himself, Naraku turned his attention towards his much more important quests.

He needed to create a newer, better body for himself... it would just require the pitiful bodies of weaker demons. One day the jewel would return, and when it did, he'd become its only master.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Sesshoumaru: One Week Later**

A graceful and casual pace was his norm, and today was no different. Memories reminded him of the world he now stepped through. It was literally like walking through time, stepping along the paths he'd walked on over one hundred years ago. It was incredibly strange, knowing that his own feet travelled this very path across Japan at that very moment, other then himself. This was going to create complications; especially given how well he knew himself. It was hardly his desire to kill and replace his younger self by any means, but given how his younger counterpart would respond to him, he very much doubted there would be a choice in the matter.

Being trapped here was perhaps worse news then he'd originally thought to himself. A small fragment of his consciousness had brought forward something he'd been perhaps wanted to hear. This would be untouched by the last century, Naraku had yet to unfold his plans, and the girl Kagome had not brought the jewel back into existence. If he killed Naraku now, then perhaps he could prevent most of the events that would come afterwards. It would save Rin's husband's village at the very least.

_But that is not I, Sesshoumaru's business. The Rin I know died almost fifty years ago. Her husband died shortly before that. It's a ridiculous thought to change this world._

It was true at that. This adventure wasn't his, it was his younger counterparts to deal with. In his own time, he was a relic of a world largely vanishing from the face of the Earth, in this time he was now just a spectator to the events he'd participated in long ago, even if they'd been different. Not that he cared, of course. He'd already tried to kill his brother, and already had watched over him in his own time, there was nothing worth changing. For the people he'd lost, they would be lost regardless. Rin was a mortal and would die in this world just as she'd died in his own. Kagura had to die as apart of the end of the evil that was Naraku, and she didn't yet exist regardless. It wouldn't matter once she did either, as it was hardly his interest to reopen anything regarding the wind sorceress. She would live, and then she would die, as all things did. Perhaps in this world she wouldn't even live, it was hardly his place to know.

The only demon from his own time he could think of who was still alive, yet became even more reclusive, was his mother. He hardly had any intention of going to her in this time, just as he'd not had any intention of going there in his own. There was no benefit to doing so. His younger self would see her for the last time when she revealed to him the Meidu Stone. It was necessary to mastering the Tenseiga, and eventually would be needed to stop Naraku.

_I don't even have the Tenseiga any longer, only the broken fragments of a sword._

Wrapped in shreds of his previous kimono, Sesshoumaru had collected its pieces and placed them along with the fan from the future. It was merely a sentimental trinket now, and apart of himself was ashamed to have admitted he'd even bothered collecting a broken sword. It was nothing he was going to discard now that he'd collected it though, that would be even more pointless.

The scent changed in the open air around him as he made his way up the side of a rocky ridge within the forest he found himself. As soon as he found himself on a stable piece of rock, he twisted his head to one side as he internally felt himself be braced for the worst. It was a scent all too familiar to him. More then anything, he was disappointed that he'd let them encroach upon him without his noticing earlier. Perhaps his still healing injuries had distracted him, which was even more shameful, as it'd meant he'd become complacent from the lack of challenges in his own time.

“How is it, Sesshoumaru, that you are both here, and on the other side of the island, all at once?” a female voice announced from behind him. “I would hate to think that my son has been impersonated by a lesser demon.”

Eyes turned up and forward while he took in the familiar voice before he slowly turned to face her, casting her a glance that to the outside would appear to be one of distinct apathy, though despite how cool he was to the woman, a very small part of himself felt relief at seeing the familiar face. He was hardly one to wish to mix words with her all the same, especially if she'd decided to begin to play some of her games.

Drawing the Bakusaiga, he simply held the blade up with his right arm, staring at her as it began to glow its familiar green.

  
“Bakusaiga?” she enquired, raising a brow. “Save your father, Totosai and myself, no one should know of this blade. So, this means you truly are Sesshoumaru. How fascinating, I'd wondered if it were possible that there be two of you as soon as I detected your scent and aura. A mother's pride and joy can only grow when she discovers that she has not only one, but two devoted sons.”

The hollowness of her words made their desired impact, and were as striking as always. She'd hardly changed, but then again why would he have expected her to? This wasn't even _his_ mother, it was another Sesshoumaru's mother, one from before the last time he met with her.

“You've confirmed your suspicions,” Sesshoumaru responded, sheathing his sword and turning away once again.

“Hardly, I had suspected you to be an imposter,” she responded coolly. “And I would know how you came to this world.”

The veneer of pleasantness had disappeared, though this followed her usual behaviour. It'd been this way since he'd been a child. The only relationship which he'd possessed which had been more strained, was that of the relationship he bore with his father. Taking his next step forward, Sesshoumaru began on his journey once again, having determined that he'd adequately answered his 'mother' and her enquiries.

As soon as he'd made it to the top of the rock face however, he was greeted by her at the top, standing there with her arms folded, her face impassive as always, though he could almost smell how unimpressed she was.

“Ignoring your mother and her concern? You are still as spiteful as always, Sesshoumaru.”

Stopping in his tracks, he just stood opposite of her for several moments and looked off into the distance for a moment, before looking back.

“It is not concern which fuels your interest in my affairs,” the male dog demon countered quickly.

“What else could it be, but a mother's concern?”

There was that hollow tone again.

“A mother's concern for her son then perhaps? For I am **not** your son. I am Sesshoumaru, but I am not _your_ Sesshoumaru.”

“Are you here to kill my Sesshoumaru, then?” the question slipped out, her demeanour outwardly unchanging, but even Sesshoumaru could detect the subtle difference in her voice.

Kill her Sesshoumaru? A strange irony, that indeed he was wrong, she was interested in his well being, just not _his_ well being. Though her ability to surprise him had diminished with time, she always did have the chance of doing so. Internally he still cursed however, wishing for this conversation to be other.

“If your concern is that I was starved for a challenge so I went back in time to challenge a younger me and kill him, then you are mistaken. My being here is a mistake, which cannot be corrected at this time. I battled a powerful youkai from the lands to the west. During our battle we ended up here. I slew him. Now I appear to be trapped in this time.”

“My poor son, you must clearly wish to return to your own time then,” she commented, taking a step towards him with a peaceful smile upon her face. “If only your father could have looked into the future and seen this. He would be proud to know that you had found your way to the Bakusaiga. I personally never thought you would learn to abandon your hunt for the Tessaiga-”

She seemed to pause as she looked at his sword sharply, before looking back up at him.

“Where is Tenseiga?”

“Broken,” he admitted. “The demon I faced shattered it.”

“So that was the sensation the Meidu Stone showed me. Then it must also be true that its death broke the sacred barrier which locked away your father's pet's child.”

So, she'd been _much_ more informed then he'd suspected on his affairs. Watching from her castle in the sky, it seemed very likely to him that he'd acted as some form of entertainment for her for some time. Or as he was sure she would say 'watching over her son with great concern'. He had decided to not continue further with the list of events with his mother, but move on his path. A path without an end in mind.

“You have the look of a worn man, Sesshoumaru.”

His thoughts paused when she spoke. For the first time since he was a child, he detected sincere concern in her voice. It wasn't her usual placid amusement, or hollow remarks. It was uncomfortable to say the least, as perhaps it spoke more to her intuition, or worse, it spoke to his own apparent weakness.

“My injuries will heal,” he informed her.

“I am not speaking of slashes and cuts,” she was quick to remark. “How far in the future are you from?”

_As annoying as always._

“From what I have gathered, nearly a hundred years, perhaps slightly longer.”

With his words, he saw the Meidu Stone glint for a moment and immediately felt his lungs stop. She was _prying_. For a moment he almost considered striking her down for daring to intrude on his business. It was painfully obvious she was manipulating the stone to observe as much of his own life as she could. Perhaps opening into the other world, she found a way to look into the lives he'd taken, or the deaths of those around him during his life. The stones powers were mysterious, but they weren't unimaginable, especially in her hands.

_How dare she?_

Immediately the stone stopped as she took a step back.

“Have I offended?”

“How long were you using the Meidu Stone to try and pry into my future?” he responded coolly. “I am not here to amuse you.”

There was a light laugh from her side, raising a hand to cover her mouth at his response.

“Sesshoumaru, you are always so paranoid. I am merely-”

With a stone face, the younger of the two dog demons stepped past his 'mother' before beginning to walk towards the forest line near the rock side he'd just climbed. He had no time for her games, even with the absence of anything else to do, he _still_ had no time for them.

“Sesshoumaru,” she called after him. “What will you do, now that you've condemned Inuyasha to death?”

His footsteps stopped, before slowly turning his head. Condemned Inuyasha to death? And how had he exactly done that? If she were prying, she would know what Inuyasha's future was. Likely, she would know what _Naraku_ was planning already. Just because the half-demon was awakened early, meant nothing in the long term. In several years, the jewel and the girl would arrive.

“I've done no such thing,” Sesshoumaru informed her, his voice as chilled as ever.

A small, knowing smile came across his mother's lips, which immediately made him feel defensive. It was the same look she'd given him for as long as he could remember, which meant she knew she'd won the argument, and would be vindicated with time. The icy look he gave her didn't change however, even as he recognized it, internally taking note of her confidence.

“Time has a strange way to sorting itself out, Sesshoumaru, but even this will be hard to stop. The half-demon you fought in your world, will hunt Inuyasha down and destroy him without the need to find the fragments of the Jewel of Four Souls,” she pointed out. “Or perhaps even more ironically... _you_ will kill him, without the human girl here to _protect_ Inuyasha.”

Staring back at her, Sesshoumaru felt his claws itch for a moment, hating to hear the truth of her words. Where did responsibility begin? The truth was, he never turned his back on responsibilities which he'd _earned_ through mistakes. Allowing Rin to be dragged into the afterlife was the most glaring example. This _stupid half-demon_ was his brother. It was still shameful to admit, but it wasn't something he'd plainly deny anymore. Inuyasha in his time passed all his father's tests... even if he failed in the tests which came later.

But he was hardly Inuyasha's protector, nor should he be.

“Inuyasha has no need of my protection,” he declared after a moment. “I will destroy Naraku in this time, as he deserves to be destroyed for his pitiful plots and schemes, and his wretched nature. Inuyasha is not my concern regarding this.”

For a moment, he thought she'd laugh once more, but instead she just seemed to smile to herself, crossing her arms under her kimono again. It was frustrating, as he knew she clearly thought him transparent, even though his _real_ objective would be to slay Naraku, this time on his own. There would be no need for Inuyasha at all. Not that Naraku was a worthy adversary for him. In truth, there was only ever one worthy challenge for him.

And his father died long ago, even in this time.

With that, he turned once again to leave, only to hear his mother speak one more time.

“And Sesshoumaru,” she said after a few moments. “Even things which look like a mistake on the surface, may well be for the best. Time cannot be perfect, nor can life. Things cannot just be fixed on a whim, there are always consequences. Everything has a price that must be paid, or they may well be undone themselves.”

_As cryptic as ever, mother._

With those words at his back, Sesshoumaru departed.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Naraku:**

The Island of the Fire Hound, was what the locals called it. A fascinating name for an island surrounded by water. It was likely related to the demon imprisoned on its shores, or so Naraku assumed. The puppet covered in the white fur pelt, took its first step onto the shore as soon as the boat it'd commandeered arrived. The locals had said that it'd been a legend for centuries that the island was home to a great beast of fire and vengeance who would hunt down and slaughter any who trespassed on his island.

For Naraku of course, this was hardly a concern, given that this body was a mere puppet for his self to control. The sand of the beach itself was more like volcanic ash for a moment, then simple sand. Walking forward, almost hovering over the surface of the ground, the shrouded figure entered the realm of the supposed monster of this island. It was only a few feet into the foliage, that the spider-half-demon realized he was in fact, prey for the beast. It was as if its eyes were on him, preparing to strike. The only thing which held its attack, Naraku already knew, was the fact he _wasn't_ human.

“Master demon, you may come out,” Naraku urged. “I have only come to speak with you regarding this prison.”

The trees around him seemed to rustled for a moment, before the sounds of a terrible transformation followed. Bushes were pushed aside along with branches as a single figure stepped out, clad in a white and orange kimono. The patterns of orange followed all along his right side, leaving the left side nearly bare. The sight was a familiar one, and the kind of demon fit the name of the island. This was in fact, very clearly a full-blooded dog demon. Orange eyes stared back at Naraku, an oddity given all the dog demons _he_ knew of, supposedly had yellow eyes. Two markings were on his cheeks, long, deep red 'claw' marks coming down from his hairline. There were no marks on his hands, or his forehead, signifying perhaps his lower status. When the wind blew past him, his short silver hair bristled slightly despite the intensity of the wind.

Standing tall and cracking his neck to one side, then the other, the other demon looked down at him with a _contempt_ filled fascination. Every second he stood in his presence, Naraku could sense the _hatred_ coming off the other demon. It was a passionate kind of hate, often only reserved for those who had wronged them in the most profound ways, but there it was, already directed towards him.

_My, this dog most certainly does not seem tame._

“You are most certainly are impressive. I can sense your great power-”

“How did you get here?” the other demon asked, his voice struggling to restrain his anger. “And do not _mock_ me by telling me you are unsure. No demon has passed that barrier in over six hundred years.”

So, it _had_ been some time. This prison had clearly been designed with intent. Often a demon sealed away will be left in an inert or diminished state, unable to understand the world around them. This particular demon had been left in the waking existence for centuries on a small island. Whoever did it, must have born an intensive hatred for the other demon.

“I am no mere demon,” Naraku commented in turn. “Though I was attracted by the rumour of a powerful demon roaming these islands, feasting on the locals foolish enough to come here.”

“I am not a _rumour_. I am Kyoken. I was the right hand of the Dog General himself. I stood in contest against the mighty Niumowang, along side my treacherous master. I am the conqueror of the weak,” he spat back at Naraku, revealing his name.

Kyoken seemed to be a fitting name, given the fire the other demon seemed to spew. Either way, this demon would do just fine in crushing Inuyasha. It was significantly stronger than Inuyasha could ever hope to be, even if it fell short of several of the other monsters lurking on these islands.

“Tell me demon, do you desire your freedom from this island?” Naraku enquired, letting his right arm gesture from under his cloak, before revealing his opened hand.

The other demon regarded his hand with a sneer, before looking back up towards him.

“You would not be able to free me from this prison, weakling. Do you not think I can't smell the weakness on you, _puppet?”_ Kyoken was quick to say. “It only makes sense you could pass the barrier, given that you aren't a demon yourself, at least not in your current form.”

_Observant._

“This is true, Master Kyoken-”

“Do not call me _master_. Speak plainly as to what you want, or I will rend your puppet to pieces and scorch the remains, and our business will be concluded,” the dog demon almost snarled, his fangs barring out.

This was clearly going to be a short-term arrangement for the both of them.

“Very well, dog-demon, I am here to make a bargain with you. I offer you freedom from this island, in hopes that you slay a single half demon for me. My own attentions are divided right now, so it is my hope that you can assist me in this venture,” Naraku offered. “The half-demon's name is Inuyasha-”

_“Inuyasha?”_ Kyoken responded, narrowing his eyes. “That is the name of a dog-demon. Who is this pitiful half-demon's sire?”

“I believe the Great Dog Demon was his father,” Naraku admitted. “It is my understand-”

“That you have a deal,” Kyoken cut in, his appearance becoming visibly angrier. “Now set me free from this prison, so I may feast on this abomination's flesh.”

Smiling to himself, Naraku was immediately able to make the connection. The field around this island had the essence of a dog demon in its origin. It was very likely that this demon had been sealed away by Inuyasha's father himself. That would mean he would fight harder to see about destroying Inuyasha than he'd hoped. It wasn't some simple pact to be freed from the island, this was an act of revenge rolled into one, and given the fury he could see in this demon, it would work very well in his favour.

Pulling a glass orb from his cloak, Naraku raised it into the air.

“This is the sacred Orb of the Dead Sisters. It will disperse demonic energy for miles, and will weaken the barrier which contains you here, even if it briefly weakens yourself in the process. Regain your strength once you leave this place, and then _kill_ Inuyasha for me. Then our business will be concluded.”

A cascading wave of light burst from the orb once, weakening his grip on the puppet. Just as it did, he saw the other demon's eyes turn completely red as his mouth turned into almost a snout. Waves of demonic energy rolled off the other demon as his body began to grow and twist into its true form.

When the next wave of light came off the orb, the strings were cut and broken with the puppet itself as he felt the aura's power melt away. Behind his puppet, in a castle far away, Naraku simply _smiled_ to himself.

Let slip, the dog of war.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Inuyasha:**

_Are you kidding me?_

Looking out across the small village he'd stumbled across, Inuyasha felt uncomfortable to say the least. It wasn't that killing people ever bothered him, but it was usually only when he felt _threatened_ by them, or they weren't listening to him. Hell, he'd have killed for the Jewel of Four Souls even, but this just seemed extreme. There was something else justifying it, other then slaughter itself. Now here he was, looking down at a helpless village that bordered a drizzle of a river, with the intent to _murder_ all of these people.

_“All power demands sacrifice, Inuyasha,”_ the sword whispered. _“Either your sacrifice, or someone else’s. To become a demon, you must be as ruthless as one. After this is done, we can move on to the next trial. In a hundred years, no one will care about this village... but the name Inuyasha will still be known.”_

She had been trying to convince him to go through with it now for hours, and it wasn't working. Hell, they'd been up there for most of that time, just waiting to descend on these people. It was the terrible contraction in his desires. He always wanted to be a full-blooded demon, to not be stuck between the two hearts he'd been given, but it was always romanticized in his eyes. To be a demon would have meant to be powerful and accepted. It would have meant being able to break his chains and be more then he was at that moment. Best of all, it would have meant he couldn't be denied by others just for being an abomination, a half-demon.

A few days ago, he'd have even said he'd have done _anything_ to be a demon. Now that wasn't so sure.

“What've these people done to deserve to get killed like this?” he asked openly, and to anyone on the outside, seemingly to no one.

_“It is the cruel reality of the world, Inuyasha. Not all people suffer because of their actions, sometimes they must suffer for the desires of others, just as I told you. If you wish to live as a demon, you must make sacrifices, and so must they,”_ she whispered to him. _“Would your brother hesitate as you are? One of the most powerful demons in these lands. Strong enough to have fought my last master, and strong enough with **your** help to win. If what you wish to be is a demon, you must learn to be one, and not walk this path between two worlds.”_

It was almost unnatural how he felt her words slowly beginning to sway him, but he couldn’t recognize it.

She knew how to speak to him. It wasn't confrontational, but just giving him his options. The worst part was she was _right_. If he did want to be a demon, this was what demons did, and these were the kinds of decisions they made. Even if he hated Sesshoumaru for how poorly he treated him, and how he mocked him, and overtly hated his mother and him even, he wouldn't have hesitated to slaughter these people to obtain what he needed.

Tendrils seemed to almost wrap around his human heart as its beat was somehow silenced behind his eyes. It may have cried out to him any other days, but today it stayed silent. Perhaps he would have been reminded of his mother's kindness and how much she wanted for him just to have a good life, or reminded him of how he felt about Kikyo before she punctured his chest with that arrow. Drawing the sword, Inuyasha looked into the reflective metal on the edge of the blade. There was only silence in his heart as the Spatha pulsed with demonic energy, the red glow moving up his sleeve. It grew stronger the more he protested the very idea of the slaughter.

Finally, there were no more arguments to be made. Looking up towards the village, Inuyasha felt his heart race with exhilaration. It felt dark as his demonic side seemed to become unleashed. Without even realizing it, his claws had extended and his eyes slowly began to shift red. Sometime inside of him, a tether to his humanity, began to wane, and Inuyasha made his first leap towards being the demon he always wanted to be.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Sesshoumaru: The Younger**

Stopping in his tracks, Sesshoumaru felt something off in the distance. There it was again, for the second time in as little as a week, he'd detected the scent of Inuyasha, and sensed his demonic energies. His father's disgrace lived on, it would seem, and much to his disappointment. The wind gentle brushed past his hair as he caught the scents of a dozen other youkai. Three of them seemed to stand out, and their demonic energies were impressive, even if _inferior_ to his own power. Two scents came from the North, and one from the south, the same direction with which he detected Inuyasha's energies and foul half-demon smell.

The tiny demon which accompanied him, Jaken, turned quickly towards him, displaying his usual _annoying_ concern for his well being. Were the froggish demon any more useless, he would have little reason to keep the troll in his company. The overwhelming and blind loyalty towards him was the deciding factor in his judgements of the demon. But even a demon as lesser as Jaken, was far superior to the most dedicated human scum.

“Lord Sesshoumaru, what has shifted your unending attention away from the pursuit of your father's legendary sword, Tessaiga?” Jaken squeaked, looking over towards his master with his two large slit eyes.

“Be silent Jaken,” Sesshoumaru answered bluntly, allowing his mind to better appraise what he was sense.

“O-of course, Lord Sesshoumaru!” the demon piped back enthusiastically, before kneeling before Sesshoumaru almost apologetically.

_Bothersome as always._

Without sparing another moment of his time towards Jaken, Sesshoumaru began to take in his appraisal of all the scents. Two of them were dog demons, and the other was a half demon, much like Inuyasha, only it _reeked_ of lesser demons even more then his brother. The most concerning aspect of it all however, was one of those scents were very familiar, the one to the south, near where Inuyasha was. It was familiar because he was surrounded by it every day, given it was _his_ scent.

_An imposter seeks to shroud himself in the appearance and scent of I, Sesshoumaru?_

It was a disgusting prospect, a being which replicated his power and appearance, if only for its own gain. Any such creature was dishonourable in the extreme, and hardly deserved a fate beyond a miserable death. Far more worthy creatures had died worse deaths then the one which would be visited upon his copy. It would be as such, as Sesshoumaru had already determined that he would track down this imposter and carve the meat from his bones for daring to insult him so overtly by taking on his energy and scent.

_Whatever sorcery brought this on, will be dispelled, and whoever dared to cast the spell will be dealt with._

Turning around, facing entirely away from the direction he'd once been, Sesshoumaru began to walk again.

“Lord Sesshoumaru? The Tomb of the Joren Bat is the other way-” Jaken didn't finish the sentence due to the immediate response from his master.

“There is something which must be taken of, to the south,” he responded bluntly, deciding to give no further details.

It would be a waste of breath anyway, Jaken would follow him regardless of how little he explained, and the toad hardly needed to know anymore then he had to.

“Of course, Lord Sesshoumaru!” squawked after him, as if on command.

_I will deal with Inuyasha as well, if that pitiful half-breed gets in my way._

After these new obstacles were removed, he would continue on his path of ultimate conquest.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

Thanks for reading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who enjoyed Chapter 1! This is the mildly updated Chapter II. I love feedback, and I hope you all continue to enjoy the story of Being Alive.


	3. Chapter III: The Old Wounds

** Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Inuyasha, or really any other property. Thank you. **

** Being Alive **

****

** Chapter III: The Old Wounds **

**Kyoken:**

He'd called him the _mad dog_ for doing all his dirty tasks. Every battlefield needed a _butcher_ , and he'd been it.

The huge legs of the massive demonic hound slammed against the ground, retrieving more of his strength with every bound. The Naraku pest which pressed him into service, in exchange for his freedom was the furthest thing from his mind. What was at the fore of his mind was what had plagued him for centuries in his waking nightmare. They'd been friends for _centuries_ , and he'd done everything ever asked of him save one thing, and for his trouble he was broken, and cast onto an island to be forever alone. It was a crime he would never forgive, blood demanded _blood_ , and his nose detected enough of it on these damned islands to quench his bloodlust.

_The Dog General… **Toga.**_

He'd known him long before the title, long before he'd become the title which Kyoken had come to despise. They'd torn a path through Korea, and then Japan, always together as allies. Toga had always been the more powerful of the two of them, but whenever something _ugly_ had to be done, it always fell to him. Loyalty was built into what they were, it was in their very blood. Toga was his brother by bond, which made the betrayal all the worst.

_After all the demons I put down for you, and your grand conquest, you were so quick to turn on me once I had something **you** desired._

Fury built up in him even more quickly as flaming bolts of energy arced out of his feet now with every pounce. His imprisonment was over the woman he'd possessed, and all done under the excuse of slaughtering humans whom needed to be taught a lesson. How he'd come to _hate_ the humans. They were so loved by his old _friend_ ; it only fuelled his hatred even more. If his current prey wouldn't have harmed Toga's soul the most, then he surely would have taken to killing every human he found for the stretch of the island and back, if to do nothing but to punish the very memory of his slain master.

_You had so much power, and now you're dead. Did you **die** for one of these pitiful creatures as well?_

The fact that he was hunting the _half-demon_ son of his former brother, told him that the **great** Dog-General had completely fallen to his perversion before his death. It made the fact he'd thrown him away over his betrothed sting even more, as he'd clearly not even kept the demoness which had snared both of their desires. Which worst of all, meant he'd betrayed him for _nothing_.

A snarling bark escaped the huge monster of a dog before his large nose detected the scent of three other dog demons, not just the _half-breed_ Naraku had pushed him in the direction of. Suddenly the hound stopped in his tracks, and Kyoken felt the fire breath out of his huge lungs for a brief moment. The other scents were all just as familiar as this “Inuyasha”, though one for wholly different reasons.

The two dogs he smelled that were male, were clearly other sons of Toga, but the other scent was almost a relief to detect. It was the Lady, the woman they'd fought over. It was enough to make him think again, and not drive himself into a maddened frenzy in his chase for the half-demon. For the first time in years, his thoughts calmed.

_My beautiful lady, he left you for a human._

His own pain seemed to overlap with what he imagined hers had to have been. It was the same fate, to be cast aside when no longer useful. Or was she cast aside simply because his _affection_ for the humans grew so much, he wished simply to be with one of them? Either case was damning all the same. She was spoiled by the touch of the Dog-General now. It would be an even greater humiliation to try and find her after all this.

He would kill Inuyasha, and then he'd kill the other full blooded-

_They are her sons._

Red eyes widened, their blue centres shrinking inside them at the epiphany. Quietly, a struggle loomed behind the demon's eyes. Killing the half-demon was an easy decision, killing the other two were more... challenging.

_I'll deal with it when I come to it._

His lungs were still labouring, still weakened from the collapse of the field which had contained him on the island. Taking several steps forward, the great white dog demon laboured as he stepped to the side of the path of his body been following. Every few steps became harder and harder to do. Exhaustion had finally caught up with him, and the dog growled to itself over it. Kyoken knew that his rest would cost him valuable time.

_But when I awaken, I will crush the half-demon._

As soon as the hound found a clearing, he made a circle instinctively with his paws, crushing the grass and small shrubs beneath his feet. Slowly, he flopped down on his side, before burying his head closer to his back leg, and just sighing as he finally allowed himself to begin to rest.

Despite all the rage and conflict inside him, there was one feeling of relief. This was the first time he'd sleep while free in hundreds of years.

The massive red and blue eyes closed for the final time that evening, and his breathing steadied, before he passed into a deep slumber.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**_Kyoken: Year 872_ **

_“Stop them from supporting the Demon-Lord, Kyoken.”_

_Those had been the orders, and it'd been an easy enough task to handle. They'd been faced with a powerful Ogre, simply calling himself the Ogre-Lord, who'd seen widespread support from demons and humans for vast tracks of land. Toga, his brother in arms, had asked him to deal with it, as he always dealt with everything. It was a very simple campaign of destruction. Villages, and demons, needed to surrender to the Dog-Ruler or die._

_Now he stood in the midst of a bloody ruin of a village. Every moment of resistance had been a joy to put down of course. Slaughtering humans was so easy, but at the same time deeply enjoyable. The bravest among them tried with such desperation, you couldn't help but feel for them. Still, even as he stepped over the bodies, taking in the scent of the blood, he looked for the last of the hold outs._

_It was just an exercise of joy at this point._

_It'd been vicious business as always, but he enjoyed vicious. Every time a task like this was needed, he was the one who was given the privilege of carrying it out. Blood and fire were the things he understood best in his life. It was that understanding that allowed him to befriend the greatest warrior he'd ever known._

_Though in truth, as of late, his friend had seemed off when it came to enacting the supreme conquest that he'd proposed years ago. More and more, he was the one doing the killing of the support for the great enemies which Toga had wanted, without his friend getting his hands 'dirtied'. It was the horrible truth of conflict and war, that in order to win such bloody sport, more needed to die then just the intended target. How did you become powerful? By taking from others. When these creatures stood on their own, human or demon, they fell._

_Between himself and the Lady, Toga would never fall from the blade or fang of another. Perhaps the annoying flee Myoga would be considered helpful enough as well to be counted among his friend's true allies._

_These thoughts all ran past Kyoken as he broke the neck of the last of the villagers who were resisting the rule of the mightiest conqueror. Dropping the corpse to the wayside, Kyoken looked around him at the torn apart structures that were once part of the village. Corpses were shreds of meat, more so then bodies at this point. His claws had rent through them at the first opportunity, striking with viciousness and malevolence. There was one truth about violence, it created fear. Any humans or demons which saw the massacres he'd enacted would think twice before rising to challenge his master. That was how they'd first started when they'd met in Korea almost four hundred years ago._

_“Kyoken,” a voice cut through from behind him, far sterner than usual._

_Turning his head and giving a half smirk, blood still staining his kimono and splattered against his neck and face._

_“Toga, I was just thinking about how you've been avoiding all the fun for years now. The next time you send me out on-”_

_“You killed all of these people? I told you to stop them from supporting the Ogre, not to massacre them.”_

_“I gave them the choice-”_

_“What are women and children going to do to harm me, or help the Ogre-Lord?” Toga demanded, speaking with the authority he often dictated to others._

_Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Kyoken felt his muscles almost tighten as his claws resharpened themselves almost instantly._

_“How many times have you sent me on missions such as these, Toga? How many times have you asked me to kill and slaughter? You knew exactly what you were asking of me-!”_

_It was then that a half-disgusted look crossed his face, and even Kyoken felt himself stilled at that moment._

_“You've learned nothing in all these years of fighting, haven't you? You've learned nothing of compassion or decency? A butcher, is that what you want to be? To be nothing more then a killer? Is there not anything more for you?”_

_Snarling outwardly with his bloody fangs, orange eyes glinted back defiantly. What did he mean did he want to be nothing more then a killer? What was wrong with being what he was meant to be. He was a **demon** , and a powerful one at that. He was loyal and ferocious, just as his father had been, and his father before him. Part of his very nature was to hunt and kill others. Just a killer?_

_How delusional._

_“Why would I need anything more?” he shot back. “What is this even about? I'm doing as you asked-”_

_“You are proving you are little more then an animal. I asked you to stop them from supporting-”_

_“They can't support him now, because they are dead. I did exactly as you asked,” Kyoken spat. “Or is this about the Lady? Is that it? Are you looking for an excuse to remove me?”_

_“Ridiculous,” Toga responded bluntly, but he hardly calmed Kyoken. “You try to change the subject in order to avoid responsibility. You are my friend, Kyoken, but I will not permit you to act this rashly again. I am releasing you from my service.”_

_The warning came sternly, and left the lesser of the two dog demons staring back at his companion in near shock. He was releasing him? Just like that, hundreds of years of brotherhood was forgotten? Over what? Some pitiful humans who were lucky to walk the same ground as him!? Any mask of calm was quickly dissolved as Kyoken snarled openly at his now former friend._

_“You've become nothing but a soft coward, and a double faced one at that,” he spat. “If I'm released from your service, then I'll just head over to the next human settlement I find, and pull all their innards out. They'll have you to thank for it!”_

_Slowly, 'The Dog-General' drew his Tessaiga, causing Kyoken's heart to stop. He would kill him, over those humans?_

_“I will not allow you to do that, Kyoken.”_

_Barring his fangs in a furious rage, the lesser of the two charged his better, lashing out with claws, before golden light emerged from the sword which would slay 100 lesser demons in a single stroke._

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Inuyasha:**

Everything felt hotter, it was like there was fire in his blood. It was a _good_ fire too. It'd been like there was a river of blood, and the entire time the sword _feasted_ on it. Every swing of the blade, he felt more like a real demon, and not some abomination. What had been a surprise was when he saw his reflection in the blood pooled in the bottom of the bloody village. It was enough to make him stop entirely, as if the world froze.

Even with the blade in his hand, still humming to him, delightfully seemingly asking for more as the few remnants of the villagers screamed and ran in terror, Inuyasha saw someone else looking back at him. Certainly, it was someone with similar features, but it wasn't the same. His dog-ears were _gone_. Reaching up unconsciously, not even realizing his left hand was blood soaked, he reached to touch the familiar ears which had been there his whole life. Instead, a clawed hand found nothing but hair, slathering his own scalp in the blood of his victims. It was only when he traced his hand through his long hair, that he felt demonic ears attacked to the side of his head. His breathing sharpened once he felt them. It was strange and alien, but at the same time both exciting and terrifying.

_“I told you Inuyasha, I can make you a full-blooded demon. These people were just the first sacrifice. There will need to be more to make the change permanent.”_

Her voice rang in his mind as he looked at his red tinted image in the puddle. Holding the blade tightly, Inuyasha learned the new value he placed in the Spatha. She'd been the first person to deliver on their promises to make him a demon, or even make him human. Everyone else had fallen through for him. Different witches and demons he'd met once he'd left home, even Kikyo... But this woman, who wasn't even a woman anymore, was actually doing it.

It was only when he looked away from the puddle, that he took in the full scope of the blood bath. This was what it was meant to be like, to be a demon, wasn't it? All the demons he'd ever known fed on human souls, or human bodies. They all had the opportunity to gain more power through the emotions, and principally suffering, of their victims. Even now he knew the sword was feeding on the blood and souls of the people of this worthless village.

_Inuyasha._

It was the voice of his mother for a moment, speaking to him for the first time since he'd started the slaughter. It was like his heart awakened in his chest as he realized what had happened around him. Outwardly he felt himself shutter for a moment.

_Inuyasha, what have you done?_

For a moment he almost choked, looking at the body of a woman clutching her dead child. He'd killed before, but never like this. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he started to try and get away from it all. His bare feet were soaked in blood as well, and he quietly hoped that the mud would cover it, almost like covering his shame. Something had _overtaken_ him when he decided to embrace the demon he wanted to be.

_“Inuyasha,”_ the sword whispered to him soothingly. _“It's just your old life. It doesn't matter anymore now that we've found one another.”_

The instant he heard her voice, it was a strange mix of terror and calm. The terror was at what had just happened, and the calm came from hearing her voice again. She'd ordered him to butcher these people so that he could be what he'd just seen himself as, a full-blooded demon.

_Inuyasha. Throw the sword away._

His mother's voice almost pleaded with him as he continued to just stare at the strange shaped blade as it hummed almost in the middle of his heart. With every moment it hummed beautifully, his mother's voice seemed to only get weaker., becoming more and more of a whisper. She was trying to remind him of his human heart, something which had yet to be cast off. The heart he'd never wanted for all the pain it'd caused him, _and_ his mother.

_“And we'll fix it soon, Inuyasha. Imagine what we will do together,”_ the blade whispered to him. _“Imagine being the great ruler you were meant to be.”_

Finally, as his feet stepped outside of the bath of blood he'd made, Inuyasha looked down at the sword again, hearing his human heart go silent. The fear disappeared, and his calm returned. The world seemed to slowly turn into almost a dream.

_“We need to kill more then just humans,”_ she whispered.

The comment went almost unnoticed as his golden eyes looked down at the blade.

“What's your name?” he asked. “Your real name.”

The blade seemed to pause, before he almost imagined her smiling back at him.

_“Lyssa.”_

It was a strange name, as foreign as the blade, but he almost felt a warm and loving arm rest over the hand which held the blade.

_“Let us walk the path set out for us, Inuyasha.”_

It seemed so reasonable, turning his head up and taking a few steps forward, the dog demon heard something itch into the back of his mind.

_The path of madness._

The forest seemed so far away, but it was calling to him with all the scents of other demons. The blade in his hand, the Spatha, and Lyssa, were ordering him without saying a word, to feed his need for more blood. Only then would he be able to keep what he'd earned. He would be a true demon, just like his father. He could conquer any challenge that came to him, and he'd have Lyssa at his side.

Tendrils wrapped around his heart once more, further drawing him into the world being built around him, seeing the future he could have. Inside his golden eyes, even as he walked, Inuyasha didn't see the battle torn landscape and bodies he'd made, even if they were sparser outside of the village. He didn't see the few survivors running for their lives into the tree line.

Instead, he saw a beautiful sunrise in the distance, warmly shedding its light over him, almost congratulating him.

“Lord Inuyasha!” a tiny voice shouted, breaking him from the trance. “Lord Inuyasha!” it repeated.

Turning his head from right to left, he saw nothing. Holding the Spatha up defensively, he prepared to defend himself from whoever it could be. It was then that he felt the small pin prick on the side of his neck. Reaching his free hand up, he quickly slapped the flee, crushing him flat against his skin. The tiny body fell to the muddy ground a second later, before it hopped back on the side of his kimono.

“Lord Inuyasha, what happened? You have the blood of a full demon! Lord Inuy-”

“Why are you here, Myoga?” Inuyasha asked darkly, not wanting to answer anything at all regarding his new power, or the sword.

“But Lord Inuyasha, you're ears-”

“Not in the mood. Either get lost, or tell me why you came. I've been asleep for what? Fifty years? I'm not in the mood to be pestered.”

“Lord Inuyasha, I've come to warn you of a threat coming from the North, coming to slay you in the name of vengeance against your father,” Myoga breathed. “And I came to warn you that Lord Sesshoumaru is also coming to kill you as well, intent on-”

“I already saw Sesshoumaru, he's in no shape to fight,” Inuyasha responded. “Who’s this other demon?”

“A dog demon named Kyoken. He was once one of your father's loyal servants, but they had a... disagreement, hundreds of years ago. It led to a great battle, one which your father obviously won. He exiled Lord Kyoken to a remote island, in the hopes that one day Lord Kyoken would be released by having a change of heart.”

“So, some guy my dad beat up, who has a chip on his shoulder, is coming to kill me? How do you even know that?”

Looking away shiftily, Myoga seemed uncomfortable for a moment.

“Well, if I must disclose. I found him sleeping some miles to the North and was very hungry, and recognized the taste of familiar blood.”

“How the Hell did you get here so quickly?” Inuyasha asked, feeling more confused then anything.

“A bird demon happened by, and I thought it was best to escape before Kyoken awakened. Given how things ended with your father, I fear Kyoken would not be quick to remember our old friendship.”

Great, so his father had left him a problem to clean up.

Slowly, the Spatha began to glow red again as the tendrils around his heart seemed to almost tighten. It was painful, but it sent blood rushing through his system, aggression building up almost without reason.

“L-Lord Inuyasha, are you sure you are well?” Myoga asked, clearly uncomfortably.

_“Ignore the flea, Inuyasha. He has told us all we need to know. The beating heart of another Dog Demon will give you everything you desire. We shall feast on him, you and I... and then you can be the demon you deserve to be.”_

With almost a snarl, Inuyasha responded.

“I'm going to kill Kyoken,” he snapped, his fanged teeth being barred as he pointed the red tinted sword in the direction of a powerful youkai. His nose caught its scent in the air, and his eyes slowly began to turn red.

“That sword,” Myoga whispered to him, sounding clearly fearful. “Lord Inuyasha! That sword is cursed! You must-”

With a violent swat of his hand, Inuyasha cast his father's friend into the wind, blasting him off his body as trails of golden energy followed.

_Cursed?! How can it be cursed when it's finally given me what I want!_

_“That's right Inuyasha. Together we can have what we want.”_

Turning almost like an animated corpse but for a moment, his hand still on the blade, Inuyasha took off towards the North, looking for his new prey, and the one that would give him the permanent status of what he wanted.

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**Sesshoumaru the Younger:**

“Jaken,” Sesshoumaru remarked, his eyes slowly turning towards the tiny demon. “Don't move.”

The tiny demon ceased his movements immediately as the dog demon looked past him. Sitting in the forest next to them, half covered by a bush, a man in a white baboon's pelt awaited them. It was obvious that he had something to say. However, it was _very_ obvious that this man wasn't a man at all, but rather a demon. With another silent sniff of his nose, Sesshoumaru confirmed it was an _abomination_ of a demon. This was a half-demon lying in wait for him.

“State your business, half-demon,” he ordered bluntly, wanting to spare no time to entertain the creature.

Jaken slowly turned his head, ignoring his orders by moving at all, looking towards the man in the pelt.

“Lord Sesshoumaru, I couldn't help but notice you are heading south,” the pelted man stated, a small smile encroaching on his lips.

“You state the obvious,” Sesshoumaru responded, quite disinterested already in the conversation, and already thinking of ending the life of the pitiful creature which dared to interrupt him.

“I merely came to inform you that it would appear that your brother Inuyasha may be in danger,” the figure offered up. “It would be a great shame were he to be injured or killed in any exchange, especially so shortly after returning to this world.”

“I fail to see how these are the problems of I, Sesshoumaru,” the dog demon pointed out. “That disgusting half-demon Inuyasha is of little concern to me. He should also be of little concern to you. If you value your life, you will remove yourself from my presence.”

The warning was real as Sesshoumaru's bones cracked in his right hand as his claws seemed to extend, relaying their potential to his counterpart. The demon hidden by the baboon pelt seemed unfazed, which Sesshoumaru immediately took note of. Not being easily intimidated was a feature which was impressive in and of itself. It either spoke of confidence in his own abilities, or a superb ability to act. One trait was foolish, the other trait was admirable. If he was confident in his ability to weather his assault, it was most certainly the former.

“I, of course, bring this up because the rumour as of now, is that you, the mighty Lord Sesshoumaru, freed Inuyasha from the prison set upon him by the priestess Kikyo,” the demon offered.

“Ridiculous,” he responded after a moment, slowly lowering his claws.

“Were it not you, then why would the local village have spoken of how the demon Sesshoumaru arrived outside of their village, fighting another demon, and awakening Inuyasha in the skirmish?” the pelted figured offered. “Then your journey south is indeed not to help your brother, but to kill the imposter?”

“How dare you accuse Lord Sesshoumaru of doing something as low as helping his bastard half-demon broth-”

“Silence, Jaken,” Sesshoumaru ordered, causing the tiny frog like demon to stop in his speech, looking uncomfortable. Turning his attention back to the demon in the pelt, he continued with his response.

“You continue to point out the obvious,” Sesshoumaru remarked. “State your business with me. It is obvious you know a great deal of my circumstance, which means you have an invested interest in this.”

The other figure shifted uncomfortably at the remark, before a smile appeared across the only part of his features which were visible. This was a game for whatever demon this was, and the dog demon wanted little part of it.

“I have merely come to offer my services to you in the future Lord Sesshoumaru,” the demon assured. “I am offering to be your eyes and ears across the island. I will help you find the imposter so that you may hunt him down and destroy him.”

“And what is the price for this service, demon?”

Sesshoumaru was hardly a fool. Such contracts always came with strings attached.

“I would merely ask that you kill Inuyasha,” the demon offered.

“Then there is no need for a contract at all. It was already my intention to kill Inuyasha,” the dog demon informed him, before starting to walk ahead again. “The next time you seek to bother me, ensure it is for something more noteworthy then an imposter and an irrelevant half-demon.”

Behind him, he could sense the amusement the pitiful creature was experiencing. It reeked, and therefore Sesshoumaru wanted little to do with it anyway. Besides, it wasn't even truly whoever it was. Despite the smell, Sesshoumaru could tell full well that it was a mere puppet which had come to him, and hardly the demon itself. That was why it didn't fear his claws, because death had no consequence for such a creature.

“Lord Sesshoumaru,” Jaken commented, quickly moving to keep up with the pace of his walk. “Is it wise to leave the demon there alive?”

There was no need to dignify a response to Jaken at this time, especially since the toad had failed to notice what he had only a few minutes earlier. That was hardly a demon at all, merely a puppet.

“Lord Sesshoumaru?” the tiny demon timidly pressed.

“Not now, Jaken,” Sesshoumaru ordered as they continued towards the South.

It wouldn't be long now.

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**_Sesshoumaru the Elder: Fifty Years After the Death of Naraku_ **

_The news had come to him only a few days earlier. His nephew, Sota, had survived the battle, though it was at the expense of Inuyasha's life. He'd been on the other side of the island at the time, which meant his chance for any kind of intervention was minimal. Inuyasha had been many things, and certainly a great warrior among them, but it seemed inconceivable that he was felled in battle by a mere reptile. Much of his journey had been silent so far as he made his way towards the human settlement which his brother had resided in until so recently._

_The only thing to survive the battle was their father's sword, the Tessaiga. The blade which he himself had nearly killed Inuyasha over a dozen times, was now freed from the grasp of its owner. It was a sword he could never wield, and even if he could now, he no longer needed nor wanted it._

_Every step he and Jaken made towards the village as it came into view felt more and more unreal. Even though he'd heard the news days ago, it just didn't seem real. Really though, perhaps it was for the best. Inuyasha was dead in body now, but in spirit he'd died many, many years earlier, when Kagome died. Perhaps if he was lucky, he would deny all of Sesshoumaru's expectations and join her in the afterlife finally. If there was such a reunion, his brother's soul could find some peace._

_“Lord Sesshoumaru?” Jaken asked from behind. “Have we come to pay our final respects to Lord Inuyasha?”_

_It was the first time Jaken had used the term Lord to describe Inuyasha, at least that Sesshoumaru could remember. It seemed fitting all the same. They'd not spoken about it, and truthfully Sesshoumaru didn't wish to speak about it. He wanted to simply quietly view the Tessaiga one last time as it was in the hands of his brother, before moving on from this chapter of his life._

_Normally, he would never admit anything in regards to Inuyasha, perhaps he still wouldn't admit that he would have never achieved the ability to manifest the Bakusaiga without him. He wouldn't admit that he'd have never found a part of his heart without his bothersome brother. Nor would he admit that he'd come to terms with his father's spirit because of him either._

_In truth, just by denying those things, were in essence an admission to the truth of them._

_“Yes,” Sesshoumaru answered Jaken shortly, not wishing to divulge another word right now._

_Stepping along the beaten path, slowly the sky seemed to swirl in dark clouds. By the time they finally made it to the humble village, rain had begun to shower, shedding tears in its own way for the fallen half-demon. He knew his brother by his actions, not by conversation. The ones they'd had were only when needed it seemed. The understanding they developed was in their mutual struggles. There were few times he'd arrived just to see him, or talk. Even then there was little reason to. Or at least it seemed that way._

_There should be no regrets all the same, perhaps save for the fact he'd not been in the battle itself. Sota had killed the demon from the islands to the south, apparently taking up the Tessaiga itself for one final swing, after Inuyasha had already fallen._

_Looking past all the huts and simple homes, Sesshoumaru's nose spotted where the home of his brother was before his eyes ever could. There was a single figure standing outside of it. Obviously, there were more inside, but the woman standing guard at the door was all too familiar. So much had changed since the first day they'd met, when she was just a little girl trying to help someone she'd found in need. A youthful smile was replaced by an aged face, worn by time and trials._

_“Lord Sesshoumaru,” Rin said, smiling up at him with the same smile she always did. She and Kohaku were likely here to pay their respects as well._

_“Hello Rin,” Jaken said respectfully, walking forward and bowing his head._

_“Master Jaken,” Rin warmly greeted in turn, nodding towards him._

_“I wish we saw each other more often then for things such as this,” Rin admitted to Sesshoumaru, looking over to him sincerely. “After all, we all only have so much time.”_

_With her last words, she cast a sad glance towards the bamboo curtain which covered the doorway. She was eluding to her own time on this world, perhaps even to her husband. It was a sentiment he could understand, given such a finite existence the humans had. Clearly, there was even a finite existence to those with the blood of demons in them as well._

_Weakly, the Tenseiga pulsed as it felt the presence of its other half within the shed-like structure._

_“Lord Sesshoumaru?” Rin asked, looking back towards him. “Promise me that you'll use your time for something more then just fighting.”_

_Turning his eyes towards her, he felt his brow knit in some confusion. What else was there other then fighting? What purpose could he find other then to prove himself against the challenges of this world? There was no need for an existence of mediocrity._

_“...”_

_Even then though, she had a look on her that told him that he was indeed truly missing something. Through the eyes of a comparative mortal, the colours of life would always be different. It was clear she'd wept for Inuyasha, and many of those inside had as well._

_“Please?” she further urged._

_“I don't know what you're asking me,” Sesshoumaru admitted to her openly, something he'd never do for anyone save Rin herself. Behind him, he heard Jaken gasp at his words._

_The smile disappeared from her face, revealing the real sorrow she'd bottled up inside herself. It was the sorrow she'd felt for Inuyasha, and perhaps for him as well. Seeing her sad always made him want to change that, and bring back the bright smile of her youth, the same one she'd shown him upon seeing him. This time though, he knew that she'd not be able to smile by his actions or words, because he had none for her._

_“I see,” she responded quietly, before walking a few steps forward and placing her hand on his, continuing to stare at him. “Then promise me instead, that one day you'll understand what I asked you.”_

_She was just a mortal woman, and she'd never know if he spoke the truth to her or not. Her time was drawing short as well. But lying to Rin was something Sesshoumaru never intended to do. Perhaps one day he would understand exactly what she'd meant._

_“I, Sesshoumaru, promise,” he told her in a quiet tone, before looking towards the bamboo curtain._

_“I think everyone here has been waiting for you,” she admitted. “You knew Inuyasha better then anyone else here.”_

_If that was true, then it was truly a day to be sad._

_With that, Sesshoumaru stepped through the curtain._

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**Sesshoumaru the Elder:**

Eyes shifted open as he breathed air into his lungs more openly. The wounds he'd suffered at the hands of Romulus were still fading, and taking a great deal of energy from him to mend. The past thankfully didn't haunt his every dream, but when it did it loomed heavily on him. Perhaps it was the shattered Tenseiga, trying to urge him to save Inuyasha. Or by contrast, it could be just simply a coincidence. Either way it didn't really matter. He'd awakened from his slumber and needed to get himself composed and quickly. It was unlikely that Inuyasha was moving slowly, and neither was his younger self.

_That scent. It's different then before._

It reminded him of the times which Inuyasha had broken free from Tessaiga’s effects, causing his inner demon to overwhelm his human heart. Only this time, it was yet further different. He smelled of a full-blooded demon. Narrowing his eyes in the direction of the smell, Sesshoumaru felt an annoyed noise be repressed. This meant that it was no longer just defending Inuyasha he needed to worry about. If the last times Inuyasha became overwhelmed by his demonic energies meant anything, it would mean he would be hostile to everyone and everything around him.

It was hardly a challenge any longer however, given he knew full well how to conquer Inuyasha in his rapid form.

Slowly rising from the side of a tree he'd propped himself against while he rested, Sesshoumaru steeled himself. Stretching his neck slightly and twisting his shoulders, it was enough to get his mind back into full awareness. There were other scents on the wind as well. One was his younger self, another was another dog demon, and the final was unmistakable.

_Naraku._

It was just as his mother had predicted. That scent would only make itself apparent if he was meddling with what was happening. Puppets were on the move, and leaving his vile stench in their wake. It was easy to forget that the _creature_ known as Naraku had left his marks on the world for fifty years before revealing himself properly. Inuyasha's pre-emptive awakening had likely forced his hand earlier.

Just as his mother, again, had predicted.

It was annoying how often she was right.

His casual pace wouldn't be able to let him keep up, not this time. The storm was gathering, and he was to be in the centre of it all. Bounding forward, his body shifted with rapid motion as he dived and dashed between trees, and leaping over canyons and streams. Feet gracefully skimmed along the edge of the ground below him, almost as if he wasn't touching it at all. A trail of silver hair flowed behind him as he dashed ahead, following the scent with singular purpose.

Every moment he ran, he felt haunted for the first time, if only by the words Rin had told him all those years earlier, when Inuyasha had died.

To find something beyond fighting and battle. He still didn't understand what she meant. Because right now, as he headed towards certain bloodshed, Sesshoumaru never felt more alive. It'd been so long since the real thrill of engagement had come upon him, he almost had forgotten the beat of his own heart as it raced to catch up with the rest of him. First Romulus, now this coming battle. After this, there was a whole world once again open to him, which had been slowly closing on him for nearly ninety years.

That time had passed, if only for a small time.

_And perhaps with it, the mistakes that were made can be changed._

It was a strange thought that came to him, as he didn't see any mistakes in his past, only the passage of time.

_“Even things which look like a mistake on the surface, may well be for the best. Time cannot be perfect, nor can life. Things cannot just be fixed on a whim, there are always consequences. Everything has a price that must be paid, or they may well be undone themselves.”_

It was a good thing he sought to fix _nothing_ , despite the protests by a small voice inside himself. This wasn't about fixing anything, or even setting things right. This was merely about slaying Naraku on his own terms, and putting lesser demons in their place. After that, he could begin his quest to find the next challenge that escaped him in his previous world.

Breaking through the treeline, Sesshoumaru saw an open field, once worked by local farmers. Now all he found was the smell of blood and decomposition, as well as the sight of the bodies strewn around the field. They were only human, and of little concern, but it was clear who killed them.

_Inuyasha._

In the distance, he caught only the faint movement of a red kimono and silver hair moving into the trees there. Without hesitation, Sesshoumaru took off after him, knowing his superior speed would allow him to overtake his younger brother.

_First, I'll deal with this, and then with Naraku._

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**_Kyoken: 872_ **

_It was a terrible thump when the dog demon hit the muddy ground below. Across his chest the huge laceration from the Tessaiga left its mark on him, blood seeping into his kimono. Other wounds marred his arms and legs, and four claw marks slashed across the left side of his face, where he'd faced his new enemy's claws. Defeat had never been so painful, but death would be a release from it. He was now cowed down by the challenge that he'd faced it head on as any worthy demon would have. Now he would face his death as he should._

_In a strange way, it was better that Toga be the one who killed him, after all, they'd bled together on a hundred battlefields._

_Wheezing, his lungs filled with air and blood, and exhaled, waiting for the final blow to come from the sword his brother-in-arms carried. But it never came. Staring up at his old friend, he saw a conflicted look across the demon's face. Blood trickled down from his brow and hairline, as well as two claw marks which had found their wave over his left eye. Despite the difference in strength, Kyoken had made sure that he wouldn't be forgotten so easily. Even without a legendary sword of his own, he could still fight. There was a moment of pride for Kyoken at least._

_He'd bloodied his enemy before his defeat._

_“Do it,” Kyoken spat blood up towards his former friend._

_“I am not going to kill you, Kyoken,” Toga informed him, stepping away from his body, and maintaining his composure as he did._

_With a strike into the ground with the Tessaiga, a fang exploded into existence, humming and brimming with the power of the Great Dog Demon. It was a ward, a barrier. So, he sought to seal him away, as he'd done to so many others? The cruelty of the Great Dog was truly worse than he'd imagined. He wouldn't even give him the chance of a noble death._

_“I'm going to give you the chance to free yourself. This barrier will keep you from harming others as your wanton bloodlust would have you do. It will feed on your hatred and strengthen the barrier with it.”_

_It hardly sounded as though he was given a chance at freedom. Instead, a struggled, weak cry of fury burst from his lungs, almost choking on his own blood. Snarling, he tried to pull his failed body up again, trying to continue his battle, only to find his body barely responded at all. He couldn't even rise from the mud he'd been disposed to._

_“One day, my friend, when you let go of the hatred and rage inside of you, the barrier will fade into the realm of the past,” the Great Dog informed him, turning his head towards him. “On that day, I hope that we can come together as friends again. Perhaps it will take you a year, perhaps it will take you a thousand, but I will be waiting for you the day you free yourself.”_

_Terror gripped Kyoken as much has hatred in that moment. Despite how much he'd come to loathe his friend in only the past hour, the idea of being left to this unknown island, sealed away until he learned to be **weak** as his friend had become, was an unbearable thought. He would have nothing to test himself against, save for what? A few demons on the island? Perhaps a few humans who journeyed there? It would be a living Hell._

_He was trying to force him to conform and change._

_“Wait,” he rasped, reaching a shaky claw out with all his effort. “Kill me.”_

_A small huff came out of the Great Dog, before turning his back on him for the final time._

_“Until we meet again,” Toga said, walking into the trees all around them, slowly vanishing from view._

_“Don't do this Toga!” Kyoken coughed. “I'll... I'll **kill you!** Toga! **TOGA!** ”_

_  
Frantically he nearly pulled himself up, only to fail, falling back down in humiliation into the mud. The demonic energies from the fang seeped out and the barrier tightened its grip around the island, just as the Lord of the West had declared._

_In that moment, his hatred burned, deepening to depths he'd not thought possible. Even if he couldn't express it with words, he'd vowed to himself that he'd do everything he could to make his former friend suffer for sending him into this living oblivion. The pain he would inflict on him would be overwhelming. Any means he could exercise to redeem his honour and pride would be used. Every human he could kill would die, if only because Toga wished it otherwise. If he had a son, he would see him sliced apart and sent to him in pieces. If he had a son, he'd see her skinned alive, and her pelt sent to him as a gift. He would find the Lady again and take her back from his deception, if she didn't see through his **lies** in the first place._

_And only after he cut open the Great Dog's Heart, would he come to him and allow him to die._

_But he would suffer for this._

_With one last feral cry, he felt his chest expand as his wounds screamed out with him._

_“ **TOGA!!!** ”_

_The world around him narrowed and darkened, in pain and despair, as it swallowed his mind, casting him into the world of the unconscious._

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**Kyoken:**

Eyes came alive as the demon's body awakened with a stiff breath. Slowly, the huge dog skull shifted upward, taking in the scent of the supposed half-demon's scent, noting how much closer and stronger it seemed.

Today would be the day for blood.

Today would be the day to repair old debts.

And most of all, today would be the day he began his revenge against even the memory of Inu no Taisho.

_My fury will never cease until I am satisfied._

The fact that Lord of the Western Lands was dead didn't matter. His spirit could watch from afar as he destroyed his legacy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you're enjoying, please feel free to leave a comment. :)


	4. Chapter IV: War of the Five Dogs

** Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Inuyasha, or really any other property. Thank you. **

**Being Alive**

**Chapter IV: War of the Five Dogs**

**Inuyasha:**

It'd been days of travel now, being led by his noise from forests to the outskirts of towns. The journey was becoming increasingly _annoying_ , because he just wanted to kill this stupid dog and get it all over with. Instead it felt like he was being lead in circles, or at the very least he was being sent on a wild hunt to nowhere. This demon was originally supposed to be just a few miles to the north of him, and now he'd travelled for almost a week. He'd have given up looking for him by now, but there was the ever-present whisper in the back of his mind.

_That stupid flea was wrong, as usual._

_No, my Inuyasha, he was right. I can smell the demon through you. We're so close to finding him. You want to find him for me, don't you?... That way, I can make you whole. You want to be a full-blooded demon, don't you?_

The answer to that was always obvious. Yes, yes of course he wanted to be a full-blooded demon. Before he met Kikyo, it was his only motivation seemingly for anything. But something stalled him, if only for a few seconds as he tried his best to embrace the idea of becoming a full demon. So little of his time was spent thinking about Kikyo, the love of his life. The priestess was his reason for being before she betrayed him. It wasn't the thought of becoming a demon that urged him on, in his last few days before nearly five decades of slumber. He could have become a full human, and Kikyo could have run with him, away from their old lives.

It was the romantic idea that he'd wanted to see come true, and he knew Kikyo had wanted it herself. They would have left everything behind in their lives, but they could have been together. Instead, she'd betrayed him, and died shortly after, stripping the Shikon Jewel from this world as she died, as if to _spite_ him. If he survived her attack, she wanted to ensure he could never become the full demon he'd always desired to be... as if that was what he'd wanted from her.

Visions of himself imagined, peacefully walking with Kikyo, moving towards a simple, new life, without any form of demon blood, came to his mind.

" _It is a sad tale, Inuyasha. The world is littered with such Greek Tragedies. Kikyo's betrayal of you is cruel, unfair, and bitterly ironic. But her last moments show you the falsehood of your beliefs. She betrayed and killed you, just as you attempted to use the jewel to ensure your union with her."_

Lyssa was of course, right. Kikyo had killed him the moment he'd finally moved to make their dreams come true. It was enough to make him stop in his footsteps. Suddenly, the demon he was tracking mattered a thousand times less than it had only seconds ago. The tendrils around his heart almost tried to control its beating, but couldn't. Something deeper than sorrow slowly pushed out from his insides. Golden eyes could only look towards the trees to his left as something slowly filled his stomach with ice.

_Why did you do it, Kikyo? I was going to give up everything for you. I had it all in the palm of my hands, and... you killed me._

Without even realizing it, the red marking on his cheeks began to fade, as his ears went from demonic, pointed ears on the sides of his head, to slowly shifting back to their canine-like ears closer to the top. Slowly, a breeze blew past him, the trees gently rustling all around him. The answer to why could never come, because Kikyo was dead, and after fifty years, everyone who ever knew Kikyo would be dead. Even now, the idea of becoming a true demon seemed to almost become hollow. Was that what he wanted?

_... I want to know why she betrayed me... Because I loved-_

Suddenly there was a jolt in his system as his blood became hot. The single red stripe on both sides of his face re-emerged and his ears shifted back. He felt his heart racing as his breathing picked up. The world almost became tainted red for a moment as his train of thought was shattered by a pure adrenaline rush moving through his system.

" _Loved her? You hardly loved her. You don't understand what love is, Inuyasha. You've yet to truly experience it. You don't even love yourself. But that will all change, once the transformation becomes permanent."_

In his mind's eye, he could almost see the faint outline of a woman. It wasn't Kikyo by any means. As it came closer to him, he could almost feel the Spatha humming in his palm. The forest around him disappeared as he was left in an empty void, except for this one figure walking towards him. Carefully she came into the light, dressed _strangely_ in a dress he didn't understand. Her appearance was odd overall, foreign to anything he'd ever see. She clearly appeared human, but her skin was a tan he'd not seen before, and her facial features were incredibly foreign. It was far from any woman he'd ever seen. Hypnotic blue eyes struck him the most, it was like staring into an ocean made of blue fire.

" _You have no reason to concern yourself with Kikyo, or anything else from your past. Your past is dead, its nothing but death for you. Kikyo, your mother and father, Sesshoumaru, and all the others, they're nothing but anchors holding you back from what you could truly be. You could be a demon of full blood."_

Reaching out with one small, delicate hand, she gently pressed her hand to his shoulder.

" _You can make yourself worthy of being loved. A demon-lord without equal, and the slayer of any who could imagine to challenge you."_

Slowly, Inuyasha reached up with his own hand, taking the apparition's hand into his own, staring back down at her. Everything she said, about his past being buried, about becoming a full-blooded demon, permanently, and about being the greatest demon alive, all played into his mind and into the new beat of his heart.

It was only when she turned her head away from him, her eyes almost becoming predatory, that it broke the moment.

" _Perhaps the past isn't as dead as I promised."_

With her last bitter words framing the glare she'd formed, the world slowly turned back into the forest around him, the leaves brushing gently across the vast expanse of trees all around him. But there was an all too familiar scent which had made itself apparent to him. It was somehow _different_ from the last time he'd picked him up, only perhaps a few days to a few weeks ago. Slowly, his golden eyes turned towards a mound of mud which peaked atop a nearby hill, seeing the sun breaking through the canopy of trees behind it. But standing there was an all too familiar figure.

A long silver mane swept in the breeze that picked up across the trees, as the entirety of the forest rustled almost violently in a great chorus all around them. Narrowing his eyes on him, Inuyasha drew the Spatha once again, if only to prepare himself for a potentially lethal onslaught from the demon. His "brother" stared back down at him, as a small figure emerged from his side.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! It is your brother Inuyasha! He looks different than any half-demon I've seen though, my lord-"

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru remarked, appraising him for several moments before continuing. "You have the _look_ of a true demon about you."

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**Sesshoumaru the Younger:**

_Inuyasha._

It was fascinating to see. He'd never imagined his worthless half-brother actually finding a means to become a full demon, yet, before his eyes and nose, it would _appear_ that he'd managed to achieve the feat. Of course, he, Sesshoumaru, was not so easily deceived. This was a clever manipulation of his youkai energy, and the elder brother of the two could immediately see it. Most of the demonic essence that allowed him to appear as he was, stemmed from the sword in his right hand. It meant that he'd found the object with the hope of turning himself into a full demon.

_Pitiful as always. You seek to be something you never will be. Perhaps I should kill you myself this time, to bar our bloodline more shame from your existence. Father has truly disgraced me by shackling my name to yours by association._

"A-A true demon!" Jaken squawked in shock. "But I thought your brother was a worthless half-breed!"

Unmoving in his features, the _true_ demon here, corrected his minion.

"Don't be so foolish, Jaken. Inuyasha is _still_ as worthless, and as tainted by human blood. He is simply masking his weakness with that odd-looking blade."

That was enough to rile his half-brother, something which Sesshoumaru had been truthfully hoping for. The brows which arced towards the centre of his face told the beginning of the story, before his lip curled into a snarl, telling the rest. Even when in this new 'form', which of course he, Sesshoumaru, knew to be nothing but a facade, Inuyasha could never hope to conceal himself.

"Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha growled. "What're you doing here with your little imp? All healed up? Coming to finish me off? Well I'm going to be full blooded enough to put you down this time, you son of a bitch."

_Healed? He's speaking as if he's seen me recently._

In a shocking moment, a quick memory pulled itself to the fore, for the elder demon.

" _Were it not you, then why would the local village have spoken of how the demon Sesshoumaru arrived outside of their village, fighting another demon, and awakening Inuyasha in the skirmish?" the pelted figured offered. "Then your journey south is indeed not to help your brother, but to kill the imposter?"_

An imposter? The idea seemed utterly incomprehensible. Namely, because to impersonate him, would be to impersonate the embodiment of killing perfection. But it was obvious that this rumour was "true", meaning even Inuyasha fell for the cleverly created ploy. In fact, Inuyasha had been _freed_ because of it. The idea that his half-brother may be _grateful_ to him, was almost enough to turn his stomach with disgust.

"Has your nose really failed you so impressively, Inuyasha? Can you not smell a fraud when it's presented to you? As always, you let down father's name and blood, by your human weakness. Even now, as you are, you are only a shadow of his greatness," Sesshoumaru commented, the words slipping from his lips in a cool, smooth tone. "Will you shame our father yet more, by moving to strike me?"

_And of course, failing to achieve anything more than irritating me._

Still snarling, Inuyasha clutched the blade in his right hand. It was obvious as his right foot slowly slid past several blades of grass that he meant to lash out at him, and shortly. It would be nothing but a token gesture of resistance. There was nothing being demonstrated so far that lead Sesshoumaru to believe that _he_ was the one in any real danger.

"No, my nose didn't fail anything. I know exactly what I smell when I woke up, and it was that disgusting stench you give off, bastard," Inuyasha snarled, eyeing him dangerously, slowly beginning to move his next step, preparing to come at him. "And I'm _much_ more dangerous than I was only a few weeks ago, Sesshoumaru. Maybe it'll be you who puts the _dead_ old man to shame."

_Half demon scum._

Even now he mocked their father, openly. The wretched creature, born of the union of a demon and a human, who never even _met_ their father, openly denounced him as if he'd known him for any moment of his pitiful existence? Their father had been _grand_ , a masterful warrior and an incredible demon. To simply proclaim him as _dead_ was an insult in the highest order, and to refer to him as an "old man" was even more primitive. But worst of all, was the concept that it would be _he, Sesshoumaru_ who would put their father to shame.

Slowly, he moved to favour his left leg as his clawed hand cracked as he prepared his venom. With each popping of the bones, he could already hear Jaken backing away.

"Now you've done it! You'll incur the wrath of Lord Sesshou- AH!"

In a flash of red cloth and silver hair, Inuyasha pounced at him, faster than Sesshoumaru had ever expected that he could have. In a split second his mind went over the avenue of assault Inuyasha took, and immediately knew to counterattack would be foolish at this juncture. With that decided, he leaped back, watching as the ground where he stood was shattered by one swing of the sword. As soon as he landed in the densely packed trees surrounding them, he immediately thrust himself into a full run. In a blur of motion bark and branch passed by him, weaving in and out of trees as he pushed himself to a speed which he knew his half-brother couldn't hope to match, if only to obtain the advantage through emerging with an element of surprise.

But it wasn't Inuyasha who was surprised, as within seconds, Sesshoumaru himself catch a glimpse of red, running at parody with him. There was a flash of gold in all of it, as he made eye contact with the rushing half-demon.

_So, his new form is more than just looks._

"Surprised to see me?" Inuyasha asked as they rushed through the brush, running past the mighty trunks of trees as they began to descend downhill in the green and brown clash of colours.

Taking one hop ahead, Sesshoumaru pushed off one tree, and shoot himself towards Inuyasha's soon to be location, past yet another tree. Tensing his right arm, and using the motion of air around them to know where to strike, he threw his hand out in a well-placed strike, knuckles first. The grinning Inuyasha's face, still looking to where he was, was quickly met by Sesshoumaru's fist.

The reaction was immediate. The head twisted back and his red clad body shot back, bouncing off the side of a tree with a shriek of pain, before rolling against the muddy earth beneath them. Growling as he pushed his hands against the mud beneath them, trying to pull himself back up, Inuyasha twisted his head sharply to look at him.

"Lucky," he breathed angrily.

"Hardly. The only surprise you've left for me, Inuyasha, is that despite your speed increasing, you're still as pathetic as you were when your form accurately reflected that human blood which courses through your veins," Sesshoumaru declared bluntly. "You're _pathetic."_

With a surge of anger, his brother threw himself to his feet, scowling back at him.

"We'll see," he seethed, the blade in his hand beginning to glow a blood red.

 _There is the real power here. It's much greater than Inuyasha's. How predictable. He allows himself to be controlled, without fully understanding what it entails. He doesn't even know how to tap into the_ **_limited_ ** _power father has given him._

Standing stoically, no longer as concerned as he once was, Sesshoumaru lowered his guard, _seemingly._

"Do you intend to try once more to strike me down, Inuyasha?"

The sneering snarl reappeared immediately as Inuyasha clutched his sword of unknown origin, preparing to strike once more. This time, Sesshoumaru would be ready for him...

It was obvious Inuyasha didn't notice however, something in motion around them. Then there was the scent, caught in the air. Turning his eyes away from Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru looked up, feeling the fleeting shadow pass overhead.

"You're mine!" Inuyasha shouted, leaping into action the moment he shouted, drawing back the blade.

_This scent. Is it a... dog demon?_

Before he could leap away, and before Inuyasha could finish his assault, the world itself seemed to catch fire in one great sweep around them. A torrent of flame separated the two before a river of it passed through the trees around them.

"Wha?!" Inuyasha's voice cut through the roar of fire before a massive tide of fire rolled over him.

The scent of burnt bark immediately filled Sesshoumaru's nose, before the tsunami fire washed past him as well.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()  **

**Kyoken:**

_Fools._

Twisting towers of fire burst from the trees below as a huge swathe of forest burned. Were they their father's sons in more than blood they would have detected his scent before his attack arrived. Instead, they seemed too intent on killing one another. Burning both of them alive at once seemed like the best opportunity to do away with them both before either of them found their father's ability to have _sympathy_ for others. It had to be a weakness in his blood, considering how _weak_ Toga had become.

_He couldn't even bring himself to finish me off. These pups wouldn't finish the job on one another._

Even as his bare feet stood on the branch, the older dog demon's eyes remained keen and focused, looking for any signs of movement from the fire-soaked sea of trees. It would only be hard to track his adversaries if they fled into the smoke which now billowed out of the forest itself. As every second passed without signs of life, the demon's smile grew ever so slowly. Inuyasha would have died _much_ more quickly, being a half demon, but Sesshoumaru... Sesshoumaru would take some time to die, even if initially hurt by the flames.

Orange eyes danced with the fire, before a single twig broke behind him. It painted a picture immediately for him, his sensitive ears hearing it despite the crackling and roar of the inferno not metres away. It was enough to make him stiffen, if only to realize that no one would _dare_ approach a Dog Demon without having a significant degree of prowess, or stupidity of their own. Of course, the _scent_ betrayed who it was, almost immediately. But it didn't seem _possible_ , because there was no _way_ Sesshoumaru could have gotten behind him, from where the now tremendous fire was burning, without him seeing, smelling, or hearing it.

Slowly, the demon's head turned, his orange eyes locking on to the figure behind him, revealing to him a picture of the familiar. This was Sesshoumaru, without a doubt. Standing there, the other dog demon just levelled a dangerous gaze on him. To others it would look impassive, or calm, but Kyoken _knew_ that gaze. It was the same one his mother gave before she had every intention of _slaughtering_ someone.

Of course, there would be _disappointment_ this time, because he knew just how powerful Sesshoumaru _should_ be, given he'd fought his father more than once. Even now he could almost sense his demonic energies in the air, and it told him despite Sesshoumaru's obvious strength, there were means to win against him. It was not as _overwhelming_ as his father had been, and even then... he left scars on his old _friend._

"I see you survived the flames," Kyoken remarked, before stepping to fully face him. "Are introductions in order then?"

The dispassionate gaze however, just continued as the other dog demon stood opposite to him, slowly reaching for the... Tenseiga? No, that _wasn't_ the Tenseiga. He'd seen only one blade on Sesshoumaru before, and it was his old _friend's_ blade of healing. Instead, another sword was slowly being drawn, one which he'd never seen before.

"There is no need for an introduction," Sesshoumaru remarked bluntly, his golden eyes continuing to try to drill a hole through him. "One as lowly as yourself is not a challenge _worthy_ of introductions."

It was impossible not to stoke his anger at the remark. He, Kyoken, greatest of the Dog General's warriors, was no match for some _brat_ like this Sesshoumaru? Slowly, Kyoken began to step to the side, beginning to look at his avenue of attack on the other demon. He'd hoped that Sesshoumaru would have inherited his mother's _grace_... instead, he was simply a _cold reflection_ of his father. Now, here he stood, as defiantly as Toga had, centuries prior. Flame slowly began to leak from the ends of his claws as his own orange eyes began to glow.

"Is that so, _Sesshoumaru?_ " Kyoken asked, his bare feet brushing against the grass which would soon be pitch for the fire which consumed his former friend's son. "Well, I suppose you don't _need_ to know who kills you, now do you? But I had hoped you would tell your father once you got to the Hell, I'm sure he's wallowing in!"

With the outburst of words, came the outburst of his rage. Lunging both his hands towards Sesshoumaru, sparks seemed to cast out from his fingers as he swung both arms into the air. Heat radiated out from it, the air distorting towards Sesshoumaru himself, before the air itself seemed to catch fire. Smirking to himself, Kyoken watched as the few sparks he'd let loose, became a burning Hell. Carrying almost a current through the air, the fire blasted through the air towards the full demon before him.

There was no surprise written across his enemy's face, even as it disappeared into the flames. The roar of the fire exploded all around the elder demon as he smirked to himself, raising his head a little higher into the air, feeling his own self worth improving.

_So arrogant, Sesshoumaru, as to not even move to avoid certain death? The only shame I feel is knowing how much your death will hurt the Lady._

Turning away, slowly closing his eyes, Kyoken heard something _surprising_ where he'd last set the world alight. It sounded as if there were still a battle, mixed in with the raging inferno all around him. For a brief moment, he could have almost sworn he heard... _Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru._

Then, in this world tainted by reds, yellows and fiery oranges, there was a flash of green power which overtook the light. Immediately he felt a fountain of powerful youkai, and it was enough to cause his head to twist back to where Sesshoumaru had _just been._

Narrowing his eyes, Kyoken saw the flames part. The sea split open and revealed a single figure, standing among the fire. Holding his sword out, it faintly glowed with green power as the fire itself danced around it, as if afraid. Sesshoumaru was _alive_ , and every bit of him looked _untouched_ by the flames. Fire so hot it caught the air itself on fire did _nothing._ The shock to the elder demon was enough to make his heart race as he realized the gravity of what that meant.

_How is this possible?_

Even then, that passive, yet _damning_ look never left the other demon's face.

"You will not require my aid. You can meet my father in person," Sesshoumaru commented bluntly, before the energy around the sword intensified, with sparks of green energy shooting up the blade.

" **Bakusaiga!** "

The fire died, and the trees themselves withered and died along with the flames in the pathway of the green power which now emerged from the tip of the blade. The arc of energy cut its destructive path towards him at incredible speeds, and Kyoken was _hardly as foolish_ to stick around and simply find out what it meant to be hit by such a thing. With a hurried rush to his step, the demon dived to the side, his white and bright orange kimono blurring as he did. Behind him he felt the wave pass seemingly, as the forest was utterly melted seemingly.

Rising and turning his head to look, only the steaming, desolated remains stayed where the wave had finished. Two orange eyes looked over it in near shock.

_This is far worse than anything I've ever seen the Dog General-_

Before his thought could finish, Kyoken had already found himself rolling back as the blade swished through where he'd just been, Sesshoumaru holding it in hand.

In this bitter, burning, and desolated landscape, almost smelling of decay and fire, Kyoken rose to his feet, sneering at his better. This most definitely put things into perspective for him.

_I am going to need to find more power, if I am to survive much longer._

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()  **

**Inuyasha:**

When the flames came down around him, it'd not been that big a deal. The robe of the fire rat dealt with the worst of it. The real concern for him was where a giant tidal wave of fire came from. The forest all around them was in the midst of a seemingly unstoppable blaze. But, if anything, that gave _him_ the new advantage. The fire wouldn't slow him down, like it would slow down his big 'brother'.

With a devilish smile, the former half demon stalked his prey, moving ever closer to where his brother had once been.

" _Yes, Inuyasha, yes. Feed Sesshoumaru to me, and I will make you a full demon, permanently."_

If it was going to be his older brother being alive, or him having demon-hood? The choice was _easy_ to make. The only problem was, the smoke from the fire made _tracking_ him hard, in the midst of the inferno. As soon as he found where Sesshoumaru had been before the wave, he was _gone_. Snarling, he could feel the change in the air and fire around him almost immediately, which meant that it was _he_ who was being hunted.

Pulling the Spatha up violently, a whip of toxic energy slashed against his blade, sending sparks of green and red energy into the air. It whipped down once more, slashing against his sword.

"Feh! You'll have to try a lot harder than that to take me down, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha barked, before moving to leap after him.

Before he could however, he felt the whip come down, striking against his shoulder. The impact was enough to send him sprawling back into the ground, before _old bastard_ landed where he once stood. With a growl, Inuyasha pulled himself up, stabbing the Spatha into the ground for support while doing so.

"Even with this new strength, you are nothing, Inuyasha," the other demon's voice cut into his thoughts. "You're as pathetic as the rumours had stated. Trapped against a tree for decades, by a _human._ It's shameful that you were ever set free. You deserved your fate, because you are _weak_ , Inuyasha."

Even though the last time they'd met, he'd been just a _child_ , at least before he was set free from the tree, somehow this bastard knew exactly how to get under his skin. He _deserved_ to be betrayed by the woman he loved more than anything else? What the Hell did this ice block know? Narrowing his eyes dangerously, he set them on his 'dear' brother with dangerous intent.

"We'll see how weak you think I am, once I hit you with my favourite sword," Inuyasha grumbled. "This has made me a lot stronger than the _weakling_ that got stuck in a tree. You're just going to be the first one to find out."

The blade began to slowly glow brighter and brighter with red energy, until something began to happen.

With a brief flash of green in the distance that was bright enough that it even caught Sesshoumaru's attention, Inuyasha's head turned sharply towards the origin. Whoever caused the fire, hadn't revealed themselves, but they were obviously still here. Maybe a couple other demons had been fighting nearby? The only problem was, there was _another_ flash, and this one was a lot brighter. To go along with it, was... Sesshoumaru's voice?

" **Bakusaiga!** "

Despite the battle, the two looked towards one another for a moment. Even if Sesshoumaru didn't look surprised, he did look as if he were trying to determine what was going on. The only problem, of course, was that the green light was getting brighter. Beyond the trees, the sound of chaos exploded, as trees were torn from their roots, and it sounded as if they were _melting._ Before anything else happened, Sesshoumaru had already dashed to the side, running into the trees, moving away from the fire.

"What's wrong, Sesshoumaru, you running away?" Turning his eyes forward, Inuyasha figured out why. The wave was now headed towards _here_.

_Oh shit._

Immediately the dog demon broke into a sprint, throwing everything into running into the woods. Behind him, in a cascade of green light and a moving wall of destructive energy, the entirety of the forest where he and Sesshoumaru had just fought, was washed away.

_What the hell kind of thing that throw out that much power?_

" _... I can..."_

Even with that thought, Inuyasha quickly turned, looking at the pure _destruction_ that had been left behind. Part of him held _disbelief_ , the other part was shocked. But then, he quickly traced his eyes to the sound of battle. Two dog demons were fighting, it was obvious. One of them _had_ to be Kyoken, who must have been the one to start the fire. The other, was Sesshoumaru. The only problem was, rapidly approaching the two of them...

Was... Sesshoumaru?

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()  **

**Sesshoumaru the Elder:**

Twisting his blade before carving another space of air, a ruthless hunter pursued his prey. He didn't know who this _lowly_ dog demon was, and quite frankly he didn't care. He had been observing the battle between Inuyasha and his younger self, when this _other_ had intervened, setting the forest ablaze. He was hardly challenging this _dog_ because he wished to protect or help Inuyasha, or his younger self. Either of them would have likely found a way to defeat him. What mattered more was that he'd simply been _in his way._

As a result, the older incarnate of Sesshoumaru had but one solution... either to destroy this dog, or to make him move aside by his own will. The dog had chosen fire, instead of submission, now he would see what his fire bought him. The _wretch_ was still on a backfooting, moving away from him at every opportunity, clearly realizing his shortcomings as a warrior.

Despite his best efforts however, Bakusaiga had found its mark more than a few times across the demon's body.

"Impressive, Sesshoumaru. I hadn't expected you to be _this_ powerful, but unable to match even your little brother," the demon breathed. "I was never so foolish as to _deliberately_ pick battles I could not win. But...-"

There was the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. The scent told him exactly who it was. It was himself.

Twisting sharply, he pulled the Bakusaiga to his guard, only at the last moment to feel steel slash into it. The Tenseiga scraped along his blade as sparks were cast off between the two swords. It would not have been a fatal attack, but that was likely the intention. The sword his younger self carried was being held in his off hand, as the other dripped with poison. The original attack would have been with the claws, the sword was now used to prevent himself from being impaled on the Bakusaiga.

It was like staring into a mirror. A mirror with an all too familiar gaze. It was remarkable to him how... _pure_ his arrogance looked when he was younger. Experience had tempered him, if only just, and to see himself for what he was?... It was hardly humbling. He was every bit as merciless and deadly as he should have been, which meant that his younger self would strike him down without a moment's hesitation. The chief problem was simply he had wanted to _avoid_ killing his younger self, and that meant any battle that happened between the two of them, would be decidedly disadvantageous to him. Even if he defeated himself, it would just drive his younger self to want to kill him all the more.

"I had been surprised that someone would dare to impersonate, I, Sesshoumaru," the alternate almost whispered, his voice only showed an edge of his disdain. "But to do so, so thoroughly? It has impressed even me."

The two blades separated, and immediately the elder took several steps back, trying to gain distance. He'd hardly diminished physically or mentally since he'd been the demon standing before him. It hardly looked as if he aged a day, but he was no fool. Bakusaiga was his only real advantage over his younger self. With his own off hand, he let his claws crack out, as green toxins began to drip from his fingertips.

"I do not have the time to deal with you right now," the elder remarked, calmly and easily taking another step back. "It would be a wise decision to not go forward with this battle any further."

The advice was pointless to give. He already knew how he'd respond to the same advice. Of course, there was a faint scent of something _familiar_ in the air, both around Kyoken and Sesshoumaru's younger self. It was the _stink_ of Naraku. Already he could feel himself having an impulse he'd never felt before. A small voice inside of him wanted to say _something_ , _anything_ to somehow _warn_ himself about Naraku. It was a dismal idea, especially given he intended to kill Naraku himself in this time long before the jewel reappeared. With Bakusaiga, and without Rin or Jaken slowing his movements, he had little illusion that it would be simple and quick to finish the _half-demon_ off. Especially knowing what he knew now.

_Ridiculous._

"Your copy is imperfect," his younger self remarked, slowly beginning to approach him. "I, Sesshoumaru, am not so cowardly to attempt to back out of a battle."

In the blink of an eye, his younger self propelled himself towards him again, just as Inuyasha flashed into his vision to the right, diving towards where Kyoken had been.

He already _knew_ how he fought. Instinct guided Sesshoumaru just as much as skill when their blades met again. Strands of poison splashed through the air in a furious spiral as the two twisted around one another in one sweeping motion. Another strike cast sparks through the air as the elder began to predict what his younger self would do next.

"It is not cowardice," Sesshoumaru remarked coldly, before kicking his younger self's left foot out, forcing his guard to break, before striking up with his left claw.

Burning venom and claw tore up his younger self's side, cutting through white cloth and flesh. Blood spat into the air before the wounds cauterized into burns from the poison. Red marks etched into his flesh as his younger self was staggered by the blow.

"I, Sesshoumaru, have another goal to meet. I have achieved the Supreme Conquest I set out on in my own world," he explained. "Our father knew when a battle could not be won. He even knew that entering into his _last_ battle, when he _shamed_ us, leaving to save Inuyasha and his _mother_ , rather than giving us what we'd always wished for."

_To kill you in combat myself, father. I was the only one worthy of doing it. And I know I felt the same this long ago. I've never spoke aloud of it._

Staggering back, holding his wound, the younger stared back at him, processing everything which had just been said. He knew that it would have given him pause, when he was younger, or even now, to hear those words repeated back towards him from another.

"..."

No words came, and slowly Sesshoumaru began to lower his guard, if only barely.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken shouted. "Inuyasha is escaping, along with the other dog demon! Lord-... Lord Sesshoumaru?... How are there two of you!?"

"Quiet, Jaken," both of them ordered at once, before turning their gazes back towards one another.

"You know something about me no one else could," the image of himself from the past observed.

The words betrayed nothing else of what he thought, which told the elder one thing. The battle wasn't over. If he knew anything about himself, it was that he would never have allowed himself to be bested in combat. With a cold, calculating gaze, he summarized everything about his younger self's position.

"This however, changes nothing. I, Sesshoumaru, will not permit myself to be copied. No matter how perfect the copy. There can be only one, Sesshoumaru."

With that, he saw himself lung forward at incredible speed. The world seemingly blurred. Before the elder could properly manage his defence, he felt a searing slash returned to him, striking him across the left side of his face. One side of his world went dark as acid tore past his skin. Instinctively and violently, Sesshoumaru thrust Bakusaiga forward, the tip of his blade piecing through his other self's armour, began stabbing through flesh without effort. The blade punctured his own heart. The Tenseiga immediately pulsed, but it was impotent.

"! AH! AHHHHH! Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken screamed.

The golden eyes across from him immediately went dim as his younger self gasped openly, before looking down towards the fatal wound. Slowly, his arm moved down, grasping the metal of the blade with shock written in his eyes, before he looked back up at him. A death undeserving, if there ever was one. A death dealt out due to arrogance and overconfidence. It was a death he'd avoided in his own time for centuries, but here?... Here he found it.

_There can be only one. This is fate._

A voice whispered through his mind; it was somehow familiar. Despite it being a whisper, he heard it almost as if it was a scream from the darkness. Quickly, he pulled the Bakusaiga out, and his younger self collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving in his final moments.

Staring down into his fading eyes, Sesshoumaru thought of little to say as he looked over him. It was only when he saw Tenseiga still in the other Sesshoumaru's hand that he reached down and pulled it from his weakened grip. Turning his head back down towards the dying body below he felt himself tense, waiting for the blade to pulse.

"Do not trust Naraku," he commented bluntly. "Should you see him again, know that he is without a doubt, your enemy."

Finally, the body died.

"M-my lord!" Jaken sobbed. "My lord?... I don't... I don't understand!"

"Silence," he ordered, feeling the blade pulsing in his hand. His father's sword had one final task, at least from him, before he relinquished it to the demon who had yet to understand what it had to teach.

_Father. For all of your frustrating shortcomings of leaving me this sword, I have come to rely on it too often._

It was as close to a thank you he'd ever give.

As soon as the spirits appeared around his younger body, Sesshoumaru cut them away with the sword of the afterlife.

Immediately breath sucked into the body below him. Life started to slowly return to the body, before he dropped the blade on his younger self's torso.

"Challenge me again, and I will not be able to correct your mistake for you a second time," Sesshoumaru warned, before beginning to walk, if only slowly, towards the now burning forests.

_Naraku._

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()  **

**Inuyasha:**

Rushing through the brush was easy, even as he left the strangest thing that he'd ever seen in his life behind him.

 _Two Sesshoumaru's. One of them must have been the one who woke me up. I thought_ **_one_ ** _of them was bad enough. Heh, given how they're trying to kill each other, I'm betting I'll only ever had to deal with one._

" _Keep focused on Kyoken. We can feast on Sesshoumaru later."_

A blood trail was the easiest to follow. Sesshoumaru had wounded the other dog enough that this was going to be an easy engagement. Unlike Sesshoumaru, this guy also clearly was willing to make a run for it to save his own skin. That'd make this hunt all the easier.

Cracking his fingers, Inuyasha jumped above the trees, throwing his hand out as a half dozen crescents of golden energy cut down.

" **Iron Reaver!** "

Trees and branches were felled in the attack, revealing the one he was pursuing. Kyoken himself turned immediately as he was revealed, just as he appeared in the path of Inuyasha's dive back to earth. Readying the Spatha, Inuyasha plunged the blade into the other demon's shoulder. Fresh blood splashed into the air as the other dog-demon spit into the air in pain. With fire on the end of his claws, Kyoken slashed back, carving up the front of his robe and sending him flying back.

But there was nothing lasting, the robe of the fire rat was the perfect cover for dealing with _this guy._

"Feh, not all that impressive for another big bad dog demon," Inuyasha observed. "This robe is going to deal with anything you can throw at me."

Sneering, the other demon hobbled back, blood dripping from his leg and now his shoulder and chest as well. There was weakness in the air and he could _taste_ it.

"If you give up now, I'll make this quick," Inuyasha offered, raising the blade with a gleeful smile.

" _You lie. It has to be slow."_

By the time she finished, he'd already taken off again. With a snarl, Inuyasha leaped after him, carving through the air with the blade.

"Hey! Get back here!" he shouted after him, before breaking into a run himself. The blood was easy to track, every time the other demon pushed ahead in quick bursts, he couldn't get anywhere. Even when he lost him in the brush for a second, it was easy enough to see and smell the trail leading to a small cave.

_Easy._

After this, he was going to be an even _greater_ Dog Demon than he was now. It was so close he could almost taste it. Hell, he could taste it. Slowly, he stepped into the small, dank cave, his vision limited as he gazed out over the rocks within. Blood lead deeper inside, but as he descended into the cave, he could have _sworn_ it... doubled back?

The light illuminating everything behind him, suddenly flashed with fire and crimson.

" _He's doubled back! The entrance!"_

Suddenly, there was a terrible rumble from where he'd just been. The world behind him shattered as the light disappeared. Everything became sick and dark, before it became black. The entrance had entirely collapsed in a massive blast of fire. It was going to take him _days_ to figure out how to get out of this dark mudhole.

_Are you kidding me?_

Suddenly, the cave glowed red as he felt _rage_ pouring out from Lyssa into the Spatha. Energy crackled off of the sword as it began to charge seemingly on its own.

" _Use me. Cut through the rock. Do not let the prey escape."_

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()  **

**Kyoken:**

Pain.

That was what followed all of this running.

Pain.

He felt a great deal of _pain_ at the wounds now apparent on his back and torso. The blade marks left by the "Bakusaiga" were leaving their toll, and he was starting to slow. So, this was his revenge? To appear, and then to be done away with more easily than Toga had before? It was fitting, at least in its own sense, that it was The Lady's son who saw to it that he was defeated. The two blade marks left by Inuyasha and his _strange_ sword as they'd chased one another through the forest, were just things pushing him ever further towards his decline.

_Had I known they would have possessed such swords… I would have spent more time preparing._

Stopping, his body finally could barely push itself another foot. Deep crimson dripped from his once white kimono as he looked down. A few days of freedom, and now he found himself bleeding and dying. The story of a demon who was once great, and sought to rekindle his greatness and take revenge, cut short by... _children._ As far as he was concerned, this defeat was a humiliation far worse than what he'd suffered at the hands of his former friend.

With another staggering step, he stopped near the river he'd come across, slowly and shakily raising his right hand, watching as only embers came from his claws. Inuyasha would catch up to him soon, especially since all he'd done to avoid him was cast him down a cave and collapse the entrance. Taking a few more staggering steps, he felt the cool shallow water of the stream running over his feet.

"I always thought you looked better in red," an almost emotionless voice echoed over the emptiness around the river.

Slowly, his head rose at the noise though, turning to see a sight he hazarded he'd never see again. It was the demon he'd loved long before Toga had ever loved her. It was the woman the general betrayed for a human. Standing there in all her glory, clad in purple, with golden eyes that he always felt peered into the soul, was the Lady. His mouth felt dry suddenly, either from all the blood he was losing, or because it'd been too long.

Slowly, she started to approach him, something he'd not seen in centuries creeping across her face, a small, small curve in her lip. It was as if her lip was a mirror image of the moon atop her forehead.

"My Lady," he managed to utter, slowly inclining his head despite his injuries. "It's been too long."

For a moment, he almost felt the fire in his blood rekindle when she stopped in front of him. There was no more Toga, the Lord of the West. There was no more competition for her. There were no more wars to fight or battles to wage, at least not for her. It was all in the past now. In a way, that was sad... so much of the living they all did was in the past. How many grand campaigns had they all been on? How many times had he fought by her side?

"I see you found a way to cheat and leave my beloved's prison for you," she remarked to him, as bluntly as ever.

Slowly, he winced at the comment, but said nothing regarding it in turn.

"You look well, I'm glad," he breathed, nodding his head as he felt sweat beginning to draw across his head. It was a cold sweat, born of his injuries, and the desperation of his body trying to heal itself. "I've wanted to see you for centuries. Ever since he... betrayed me."

Without much hope, he felt his left leg give out. Blood had been seeping from it for minutes now, and the muscles couldn't power themselves any longer. His hand splashed into the river as he felt himself weakening. A small patch of steam rose from the water as it put out the fire inside his claws.

"You tried to kill my son," she followed up. "Why should I be grateful or pleased to see you?"

"All I've known for so long is hate," he managed, before smiling sadly, looking into his reflection, and looking at hers as well. "I never would have done it to hurt you. It was all about _him._ "

"I know."

Slowly, he felt himself breathing more and more shallowly, trying to keep himself alive just for another minute, perhaps two. When he turned to look up at her, he felt somehow lighter than he'd been before. The only moments he'd spent on that island not descending into despair, or into a fury, was when he thought of _her._ Even then, it would eventually lead to sorrow again, but in the moments where he just remembered what things had been before, he found brief... brief moments of acceptance, perhaps even of happiness.

When she placed her hand on his shoulder a second later, he felt something rise in his chest. A smile slowly stretched across his lips, feeling how warm her 'cold' hand was. Of anyone alive, she understood him the most.

"Do you see why he sealed you away, Kyoken?"

The question came at him, and the smile slowly disappeared, he looked at her, searching her expression or eyes for the answer she wanted him to find inside himself. How was that connected to any of this? Confusion set in as he walked over centuries of memories. The more he looked through them however, the more he saw a different picture than he'd imagined.

" _We need to setup camp near that village. Ensure the locals don't resist."_

" _You killed them, Kyoken. That wasn't what I asked."_

" _Kyoken, you are my friend, but I need you to temper your anger. I know the rage burns hotly inside of you, but we need to take some of Menomaru's scouts alive. If we can achieve that, then we will have a much better chance of catching his father off guard."_

" _How many of our side died, because you slaughtered every one of his scouts? Whose fault was it, Kyoken? Which of your men are responsible, or will you take responsibility for this?"_

All those years he'd forgiven him, because they'd fought along side one another for so long. Worst of all, as he stared back at the Lady, even though he'd just tried to slay her son... he could see that _she_ was forgiving him for the same reason. Something inside of him which had been clinging to something foul for far too long, felt its grip loosen. Only through the lens she'd offered him, could he have seen it all. There was a _warm_ feeling come around him from all directions as the world grew ever lighten, even though his limbs increasingly felt weakened.

"Yes," he answered her finally, unaware of the heat which had formed on the edges of his eyes. "Yes, I can see it now."

She'd always loved Toga over him, because Toga was the better demon of the two of them. He was stronger, but he could see now, if only for a glimpse of a moment, how so much of his world had been rage, and rage for the sake of yet more rage.

"Hey!" a voice cut in. "Lady, you mind backing away? Me and fire-dog here have some unfinished business."

Immediately Kyoken turned his head to see his executioner. With his glowing red sword, he could see the look of anticipation written across Inuyasha's face. He'd hunted him down, and he'd butcher him, just as he'd butchered so many before.

"Leave," he managed a second later, before turning his head to the Lady. "Leave me to my fate."

_In death, I will find a moment of redemption for myself. Toga... I was wrong._

The small smile on her lips returned, before she just let her hand off his shoulder. For a moment, he expected her to leave, but instead she took several steps past him, towards Inuyasha. His failing heart raced, as his bloodied hand reached out, grabbing for her but it was too late.

"This one is no longer a concern of yours," she remarked simply. "You may leave now."

A sinister glint crossed Inuyasha's face before he prepared his sword.

"Whatever you say lady. Tell you what, I'll leave, after I take that head off his shoulders. My sword's been begging me to do it for _days."_

"Ignorant child. You haven't the slightest idea of the curse that blade confers to you. Are all half-demons so childish and short sighted?" she asked bluntly. "That sword will not have this one. Find it a meal elsewhere."

Snarling, the "half" demon stepped forward, the blade glowing ever darker.

"So, I guess I'm gonna feed it _two_ demons today," Inuyasha growled. "Because you're not exactly going to stop me, lady."

That blade he was carrying made him a threat to _anyone._

"How _ashamed_ your father would be to see you now," the Lady commented in turn, before slowly unclasping her hands in front of him. A gust of demonic energy swirled all around them, and Kyoken felt it take to the air, almost as if it were alive itself. There was more youkai energy around them than he'd ever expected from her.

"Feh! Like I care about what some dead, old, washed out-"

And then, in a flash of light, Inuyasha disappeared.

Finally, he felt his own heart beginning its final beats. It was everything just to remain kneeling. Blood oozed from his wounds, and he knew the poison from the sword of Sesshoumaru filled his veins. The same toxin that melted and decayed the trees.

Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the pain of feeling his insides _fail._

"What did you do with him?" he managed.

"It doesn't matter, he'll be fine," she responded. "When you see Toga, do not tell him of the disappointment his half-demon son has become, this will pass. It is something I fear even in death, he would not wish to live with."

It was enough to make him smile again.

"When I see him... I'll..." his voice began to wheeze, even as he looked into her eyes again. Everything but her golden eyes began to fade into darkness around him.

"... I'll..."

In a smooth tone, the one he remembered from their youth, the Lady said something he would never forget, in this life or the next.

"I forgive you, Kyoken."

He felt her hand on his shoulder one last time.

_Ask him to forgive me._


	5. Chapter V: Detached.

** Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Inuyasha, or really any other property. Thank you. **

** Being Alive **

** **

** Chapter V: Detached. **

**Inuyasha:**

Air whipped around him as Inuyasha felt as if he was floating for a brief second. The beautiful sky lay in front of him, and the clouds never seemed closer than in that moment. It was a beautiful day, the air was fresh, and filled with the scent of clean water. The common smells of mud, animals, humans, and the forest seemed so distant to him he almost forgot them. He remembered only a second earlier he was moving to strike down some demon that was getting in the way of finally achieving what he wanted.

That seemed to be _so long ago,_ and _so distant,_ that he barely registered it. It took only a second of feeling this weightlessness, for him to realize that his feet were rapidly shifting under him. Golden eyes widened while he hung on for several more seconds, before motion and gravity took over and he was sent spilling downwards, his hair whipping upwards. A confused roar escaped him as he felt increasingly disoriented, the green ground below, mixing with the skies above as the clouds became further and further from him. He’d been in the middle of the sky.

But how? How had he been in the middle of the sky?!

“Huh? Wha?!”

_What’s happening!?_

The ground was hard. The bones in his left arm snapped and his ribs fractured after his body broke through the top of the canopy of trees and he hit the ground. The ringing inside his head was intense as he lay there, his body savaged by his fall. A long drawn out groan escaped his lips before he shoved the Spatha’s tip into the forest floor, pushing it to pull himself up. Hobbling took him only a few seconds before he shoved himself against the side of a tree, turning his eyes skywards to where his entrance had come from.

_That bitch. How? How’d she pull that off?_

There was a delayed response before the familiar glow of the sword returned. He felt at ease as its power _wormed_ its way through his body, easing his pain as it slowly started to accelerate his healing, bone and muscle knitting themselves back together as he felt Lyssa’s now familiar touch.

_“She used an artifact of great power I touched it as it pulled us in. I wish I could have helped you sooner, before the fall, but I had to take my time recovering after having tasted such power.”_

His companion’s words weren’t soothing, but they seemed honest. With his arm restored a moment later, he flexed it up and down, making sure the limb was once again intact before stretching himself out to his full height. It was daylight, and the clearing he was near was unfamiliar to him. He knew he was still on the Island of Japan, but beyond that it was a mystery as to _where she put him._

A low growl of frustration left his throat before his nose took to tasting the air, looking for familiar scents. If he didn’t know any better… he was on Kyushu? That was **forever** away from where he’d been!

_Damn it._

Almost stumbling still just from shock, and dizziness, Inuyasha took his first tentative steps forward, moving over roots and brush as he carefully navigated himself to orient to the _north._ Not that it _mattered,_ where he was, was a mess. Whoever that woman was, she’d intervened in his _goals,_ but she was _a thousand times_ his superior if she just sent him away as if he wasn’t there. All the extra power of being a _full demon_ didn’t even matter.

_“That, Inuyasha, is because there is more to power than the purity of demonic essence. The one you faced was **much** more in-tune with her power, and of course, the possession of such a wonderful item.”_

Lyssa spoke to him, as she did it was almost soothing as she felt her energy warm his body whilst he healed. It was as if she was holding his hand, or wrapping herself around him. Behind his eyes, he almost imagined the demoness across from him, embracing him. It was soothing, calming even.

“When will I become a full-demon, permanently?”

The question was real, it was spoken aloud in the silence of the forest around them. The lack of any answer told him more than enough. It wasn’t going to come soon, at least not soon enough for him. It was _angering_ that he’d felt like he was making _real_ progress, for the first time in his life towards anything. He wasn’t clouded by thoughts of _Kikyo._

Uplifting himself, and beginning his journey northwards, the _full-demon,_ began to trek across the land. The day shifted to night as he travelled, but not without his ever-present companion. He’d managed to even catch game to eat before continuing on his journey through the forest.

But once he came to a particularly thick grove, in the back of his mind, he could almost _sense_ something spying on them. Taking several steps forward, he looked for signs of anything. Briefly he wondered if a Spider-demon, or some other kind of _creature_ had walked across his path and was intent on using him as prey. But there was nothing, save for a tree, seemingly staring back at him. Taking several steps towards it, Inuyasha looked through the dense and thick brush before hopping forward.

_“What is it, Inuyasha?”_

_I think something is watching us. I can’t smell it right now, but I can feel it._

The brief moment of clarity had allowed him to step in front of the thick, dead base of a tree. Next to it he could see a **gigantic** fang, larger than anything he ever imagined he’d seen before. It slowly resonated with demonic power. All around him he almost felt like he was being watched now. Just what the Hell was this?

_“A powerful seal. It’s hidden from detection, but this close I can feel the very edge of it. It contains… **power.** ”_

Instinctively, he drew back the Spatha, before stabbing it into the great, and almost overgrown tooth. A single crack appeared on the edge of it, slowly leaking what he knew was demonic power. The dull red energy oozing off the blade flickered from the strength of the blow, as he heard Lyssa herself _hiss_ with pain.

“Hey, are you okay?”

_“The barrier is very strong. It would cost much to cut through this.”_

_Okay, so now what are we gonna do? How much power do you think this thing contains?_

_“Enough power to turn you into a full demon, Inuyasha.”_

That was more than enough to get the Dog-Demon to listen. Golden eyes scanned this patch of forest before he climbed up the side of the tooth, taking a good look at it as he smirked to himself. Really, how hard was this going to be? Though just as importantly, he wondered, who left this all behind? Bah, it didn’t matter anyway. This was a matter of taking a claim for himself. After he got _this_ thing opened up, he was going to _show that woman,_ and he’d _show Sesshoumaru,_ exactly who was in charge.

To be a full demon, without the chance of returning to that _weak_ state he’d been in. This was going to be how he moved forward. No more Kikyo, or **anything** holding him back. That was what he wanted, and it was what he was going to **get.** The best thing he ever did was ignore Sesshoumaru and take up this sword.

_When all the human blood is gone, what will it be like?_

_“To be a full-demon, Inuyasha? To go beyond even where you stand now? It means you need not walk between two worlds any longer. You will walk the path of power.”_

Staring down the top of the hollowed-out tooth, Inuyasha felt himself look around one last time.

_Got any idea how we’re going to do this?_

_“… Yes.”_

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

** Sesshoumaru the Younger: **

He’d not travelled for several days. For decades, it was almost without a moment’s break, his quest across the lands of the West never ended, in order to find the strongest challenges, since his father had deprived him of the ultimate challenge. Now he’d met a challenge he didn’t believe posed the threat it had, and he had not only been defeated, he had been _humiliated._ His own voice lorded over him as he was saved by Tenseiga, his father’s cursed gift to him.

It had stolen from him something he’d never fully realized until that moment. It’d revealed the **lie** of his invincibility, and had shown his weakness, for only himself and Jaken to see. The _other_ one was _better_ than him.

“Lord Sesshoumaru,” Jaken’s voice emerged from behind him. “Not to sound alarmed for your well-being, as you are always in a state of complete well-being, my lord, but… we haven’t travelled for almost three days now, Lord Sesshoumaru. We’ve not remained stationary like this in many years…”

_Ever._

He corrected the imp in his mind, not wanting to acknowledge him further as a gentle breeze brushed past him, a rolling meadow below where he sat waved gently in it while his golden eyes surveyed the lands before him. Was it only the sword that had defeated him? The blade, _Bakusaiga,_ had run him through. The opening in his armour and clothing was still there, a reminder of his failure.

_To be defeated and humiliated, and worse, to have my own sword, Tenseiga, used to resurrect me. I was uncertain it even possessed such a power. The full extent of my own knowledge had no idea the blade possessed the property to heal, or return the dead._

And dead he most certainly had been. That much he, Sesshoumaru, knew. He had faded into the darkness of _unlife_ and was to descend into the depths. The commands his _other_ self had given him were laws laid down by the strength of his sword-arm. First, to never trust Naraku, and second, if he were to ever challenge the _other_ Sesshoumaru again, his life would be forfeit.

To have found the limit was truly cruel. There was one final piece to all of this however. Imposter or not, this _other_ self did **not** possess the greatest weapon in existence. He did not have the **Fang** **of Destruction.** Despite the power being demonstrated by the poisoned blade which he possessed; it would not be a match for the Tessaiga. It was the ultimate weapon, one of the three blades his father possessed before his _miserable death._ A miserable defeat that he, Sesshoumaru, had almost mirrored.

Arrogance had been the nature of his downfall, if only because he had not prepared himself adequately for what he had come across.

“Jaken,” Sesshoumaru finally spoke.

The demon’s head perked up, excitement brimming in his eyes as it rapidly approached his side, rubbing its hands together as it stared back at him.

“Yes, my Lord? What is it you require of me?”

“We must find the Staff of Two-Heads,” Sesshoumaru announced. “As we were before. I must possess my father’s fang of destruction, Tessaiga.”

Rising to his feet, the demon lord looked out over towards the horizon, his nose picking up the scents in the air, looking for any signs of the familiar, or the unknown. He could catch his _own scent_ on the wind, knowing full well who that was. The scent of the demon he warned him of, _Naraku,_ also lingered through the air, and in much closer proximity. It was too close, and trying to conceal itself downwind of him, but his powers were in excess to this creature’s. It would sense his approach, if it was even the real embodiment.

It was _spying_ on him.

Eyes cast towards the direction with a disgusted gaze, though his remaining features remained impassive.

“Excellent, my Lord, I am pleased to hear that we will continue our quest. Once you possess the fang, this _imposter_ will be struck down like the cur he is!” Jaken squawked happily. “Then all across these islands will understand and know their true ruler, Lord Sesshoumaru!”

“Jaken,” Sesshoumaru said coldly. “Be quiet.”

“Oh. Uhm… _yes my lord.”_

If this thing was now spying on him, it had plans of its own, likely for him. It was attempting to destroy Inuyasha, a worthy goal, surely, but it had no respect for him. His _double_ was right in that regard. What could that _foul_ creature, Naraku, do for the likes of he, Sesshoumaru? Regardless of usefulness or intent, he was wise enough to heed those words.

The only question became something which he’d actively avoided since the moment of his return to life.

_Why did he spare this Sesshoumaru?_

It had no clear answer, and that was something he did not suffer for questions which hung in his mind. If this other Sesshoumaru were truly alive, and truly him, what would his _own_ motivation be?

_I would have spared me, only in hopes that I could one day have a challenge worthy of me._

It was the only possible explanation that he could judge, but he could _sense_ that perhaps that wasn’t where the truth lay.

Taking several steps forward, Sesshoumaru began on his journey once more to collect the item which would give him ultimate power. The item that would not only restore him to his place as the first amongst his kind, but would prove his father _incorrect_ to leave such an item to his disgusting, human tainted brother, Inuyasha.

Even now, even if Inuyasha’s _external_ appearance became closer to what he would have been, it changed nothing. He was not born of one, or two demons. Forever, the half-breed would be tainted by virtue of the fact he’d been pushed from a human body, and formed in a disgraceful act of excess, hedonism, and **weakness** by his father.

_Your greatest weakness, and shame, father. To have watched you fall so far from where you stood, it is something I can still hardly accept to this day._

_“Supreme Conquest… Tell me Sesshoumaru, do you have someone to protect?”_

The words of his father hung in his mind. They were the last words his father ever said to him. He had the same answer for his voice as he had before.

_I, Sesshoumaru, will never be so weak. I will not falter, as my father did._

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

** Naraku: **

Eyes.

He had his eyes everywhere. At every turn his insects covered the forests and trees, searching for the one called _Inuyasha._ The failure of his first plan to destroy Inuyasha had not been unexpected. The demon, Kyoken, was very formidable, but there had been too many unknowns to reasonably measure the risk to his _puppet._ The _sword_ Inuyasha had in his grasp, appeared to be the centre of his new power, and it was feeding his new, demonic form. That was actually a point of interest, wasn’t it?

_How is it that Inuyasha has taken on more characteristics of a full-blooded demon? Is it the blade in his possession?_

Did that _cure_ him of his human heart? The massacre of the village seemed to almost imply it had. Naraku, however, was not so **foolish** as to think that there were no strings attached to such an artifact. The truth was much more likely that Inuyasha himself had become _cursed,_ a slave to the sword which lay in his possession. Perhaps…

_Perhaps my revenge can begin with torment?_

Red eyes scanned towards a nearby mountain range as he internally smiled to himself. If this sword was subduing Inuyasha’s _human heart,_ and allowing him to assume a purer form, then why should he allow for that? To have his conscience silenced in such a way seemed to be an asset for his counterpart. However, if he were to break the curse, _after_ Inuyasha’s next steps, he might leave his enemy in madness and remorse. It was a small first step. He would have preferred **death,** truth be told… But that was at this time something which could come later.

Suffering, would improve the taste of his revenge.

_Yes, Inuyasha, you will suffer, won’t you?_

One of his puppets was _almost_ noticed by Sesshoumaru. It brought him to a pause, expecting to speak through the vessel, though the demon lord seemed to pass by with little effort. He was either being _ignored,_ or now that _incarnation_ of Sesshoumaru had missed his puppet’s scent, which was placed to prevent it from being discovered or tracked. Right now, his suspicions were the _former,_ as despite this creature’s defeat at the hands of… itself? It was still more than formidable enough to be able to know it was being followed.

_I will need to be careful, then._

The _other_ Sesshoumaru however, was of even greater concern. As any of his scouts which had come too close, were already killed. It was merciless in its precaution. He barely could follow its movements. It traveled _alone,_ though he didn’t know if that was by choice. It seemed to understand his methods of tracking. What was worse, it seemed to _know_ the means with which he obscured his presence. In only 3 days, it had visited one of his former layers, which had been masked by several powerful auras.

Which meant that it was now actively looking for him. The problem of course, was that he didn’t know if that entity, this replica of Sesshoumaru, was powerful enough to destroy him. It was a theory he cared _not_ to test.

_I will need more power, then._

Walking from the noblemen’s house, he took strides outdoors, passing several structures before coming to the last in the emptied castle courtyard. When he entered the building, he could hear the _noise_ of parts of his body, gulping, swelling, pulsing and regurgitating beneath the very floor itself. Hundreds had been consumed into his body here, demons of every stripe, as needed, were brought into his body.

_My power pulsates beneath my feet. I must be very careful however._

To face Sesshoumaru _himself…_ No, that would not do. He was a _finite_ resource, if things went very badly. He needed to remain _detached_ from the situation as best he could. As of now it would take great effort to move his body to a new location, which could pose a problem in many respects.

Taking several steps outside, he knelt down, taking up a scoop of dirt within his fingers and staring at it.

_Would it not make more sense if I used what was plentiful and abundant, to deal with Lord Sesshoumaru?_

Slowly, he felt a plan weaving through his mind as he looked back to the refuse of his body. How much of him would it take to buy the time he needed? With luck, Lord Sesshoumaru would first track through one more of his prior layers…

_Which is exactly where I can lay my trap._

Eyes darted over the landscape around him as he took in all of the _assets_ at hand, all whilst a warm breeze brushed through his hair. It would cost him **greatly** to perform what he wanted. It would be a mastery of his form, and _soul,_ that he knew would leave him forever changed… but it would be _necessary_ to, at the very least, buy time for his evacuation to a more secure location.

Still, it was remarkable. Only days after his first plan, the other Sesshoumaru appeared to be a creature possessing knowledge of who he was, and a desire to destroy him. Fate however, would not let him _fall_ before he achieved his dream. Inuyasha’s brother, or _whatever_ this creature was, was nothing more than his next meal. He would absorb him into his body as well, adding yet more power and abilities to his ever-evolving form.

_Lord Sesshoumaru, both of you, will one day be puppets on my strings, or limbs on my body._

Returning to the structure a moment later, dirt still in his hand, Naraku approached the door leading to the underside of the structure. It was as if the whole building gulped back as it opened, revealing the flesh covered passageway below, slipping down into it, he walked forward, smiling while he did as appendages slipped from the ceiling and walls, along with different oozing extremities. Gesturing on a whim, a pool of his body began to form as it wiggled and slithered along the ground, slowly forming back into a cocoon-like structure, beating as if it was his own heart that lay within it.

As his new project began, he felt his very essence splitting, pulling itself into this new form, like putty in his figurative hands, breaking away pieces to clump into a new form… kneading it into a new shape, the dirt in his hand reflexively slipping between his fingers as he began to gestate this new creature.

It would take time.

Even as this plot thickened, he would make his next move…

And puppets were expensive as well, but he needed _time…_

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

** Sesshoumaru The Elder: **

Abandoned.

That was what this place was. The barrier had been a minor impediment to his progress, but he’d seen Naraku’s tricks before, and in a much more advanced state. The half-demon had no jewel fragments to enhance his power, he could only rely on the energies he could steal from other demons. From the heights of his power as Sesshoumaru knew them, he would still be confident that he could destroy Naraku at this point. The half-demon himself must have sensed the danger of his approach, as his hellish insects had been trying to track him for days now.

Dispatching such trivial creatures brought him no satisfaction, but this entire _world_ was nothing but the past to him, as twisted as it was. He had hoped that he would be revitalized by the challenge of combat, but instead he found only _ghosts_ here. The past was what lay before him, and that realization came with a soar note. It had been the past which had trapped Inuyasha after his awakening, with the undead creature Kikyo and others. It had been the past which had locked him in place when he could have achieved power for himself, as he did with the Bakusaiga.

The past was inviting, wanting to _fix_ the past, overcome it, was even more alluring. The truth was however, that the _past was the past._ To overcome the past, meant pushing forward into the future. He lived now in a world where he had to deal with _himself,_ in his ignorant state. He needed to deal with Inuyasha in a similar way as well, and all for what? The future had ground to a halt for him, but he had never felt like he was facing his past.

He faced the reality of the world he had been in. Even if he was left with _questions,_ such as how he felt about his brother, and his inevitable, miserable death, or how he felt about Rin and her age and decline. How he felt for his minion, Jaken, or any others, they all were things he left in his _own_ past. Even if they were things that came into his questioning mind’s eye, they were things he overcame by _moving forward._ They had stopped moving in time, their stories ended with their deaths. They were gone.

Now, he was in a retelling, and after _saving_ himself with Tenseiga, Sesshoumaru felt more like this was a _purgatory,_ rather than a chance at _being alive_ again. 

The idea of _putting things right_ only came to him regarding his awakening Inuyasha early. The problem now being far too great, and far too much to get under control any longer. It was not his role to correct what had been this freak accident. The chips would need to fall where they may…

_ But I will kill Naraku. Even if it fixes nothing, the idea of that disgusting creature dying at my claws is satisfactory enough for this Sesshoumaru. _

But what lay beyond?

Contemplating the future had become something he wanted to avoid, but there was a truth to it. This would end with Naraku’s death. If he was unable to return to his era, his world, through the well… where did that leave him? What chances were there that the girl from the future would even appear? It was more than possible that the entirety of what he’d known, was now gone, beyond what was here now.

The tragedies others would face, may in fact be gone. From Rin’s slaughter, to her husband’s family’s death, to the many tragedies that befell all that came in the path of Inuyasha and his friends by Naraku. Their lives were not his business, but his actions would have consequences.

The clarity of it, as it came into view, left it being less desirable than one would imagine.

“Lord Sesshoumaru,” a voice emerged. “My apologies for not being here in person to greet you, but it seems you have been looking for me.”

A puppet, he knew right away. The baboon pelt was all too familiar, as was the silhouette of the figure. Turning about, his flicked two of his claws into the air, his index and middle fingers began to glow with an unearthly green, not even wanting to bother with conversation.

“Please, my lord, wait,” Naraku urged.

“Your words are more poisonous than my claws, _half-demon,_ I am _uninterested_ in what you have to say.”

There was a moment of real surprise from Naraku as he seemed to digest what little information Sesshoumaru had revealed, preparing to strike him down.

“I come to warn you, Lord Sesshoumaru, rather than be your enemy. Your brother, Inuyasha, has been cursed-”

With the first flick of his wrist, two tendrils of green light snapped out, cutting the puppet in two as it planted face first into the ground. The left arm had been entirely severed, while the right remained in place, it propped the body half up, trying to keep high enough to speak clearly.

“I see,” it remarked. “How is it that you know me to be a half-demon, Lord Sesshoumaru?”

“I, Sesshoumaru, have no time for your pitiful attempts at delaying our meeting in person, Naraku.”

“Then… perhaps I can give you what you want,” Naraku responded. “We can meet, in person. A meeting place…”

“A trap,” he responded bluntly, before flicking his wrist again, this time slashing the remnants of the puppet to pieces, watching as it was torn apart.

Around the empty courtyard however, Sesshoumaru heard a low laugh escape as the puppet was annihilated. Atop one of the ill-maintained buildings, another baboon pelted figure appeared. He wouldn’t waste his time, this time, with anything even approaching idle chatter.

“You, Sesshoumaru, must have come from somewhere with knowledge as to who I am,” he responded. “But how can that be? How can there be _two,_ Lord Sesshoumarus, and one is so steeped in ignorance?”

Snapping his arm out again, the long poison whip cut through the next puppet, its body shattering and the pelt _melting_ into the fragments of clay that made up its body.

“You really do believe yourself able to track me, Sesshoumaru?” a third voice emerged. “Do you not still think I’ve managed to find you at every turn? Even as you kill my scouts, I have but many more. You must surely know that I am unable to be approached by one such as yourself.”

When he turned, he saw the next puppet, his eyes scanning for more already as he remained stationary, not striking this one down, _yet._

“You have earned a brief audience, with _this_ Sesshoumaru,” he answered finally, using this time to let his senses expand around him. “If you simply have come to taunt me, it is a fool’s errand.”

“I simply seek to _understand,_ Lord Sesshoumaru, why you would wish to hunt me? We have had no prior dealings. I don’t believe I’ve done anything to wrong you… I wasn’t even aware you knew of me, my Lord.”

The polite exterior was always dripping with the toxic intent beneath the words. This creature was no different now, than it was before its pathetic death.

“Ridiculous, expecting me to answer such a question. If you wish to find out, you will need to find that out on your own,” Sesshoumaru answered. “You are beneath me. I have no reason to explain anything to you.”

The puppet remained still for several moments; the face half covered by the mask appearing irritated before he could detect a small smile. It was confident about something, or it believed it’d detected some hidden truth about him.

“Then dare I ask, Lord Sesshoumaru, why would you spare your other self? The imposter? I very much doubt he would have spared you. Certainly, a demon of such power is more worth your time than a creature as lowly as myself.”

He was _sure_ now, as he’d been listening, he’d been scanning the area for signs of the insects or another puppet, that this was the last one.

“When you die, I hope you die with only questions on your mind,” he answered, before annihilating the last puppet, shredding it into pulped mud with all five fingers, and a cast of his hand.

As soon as it was finished, the dog-demon remained still for several moments, awaiting a trap, or some kind of final message from Naraku. It never came, and he felt its vile stench begin to leave the air around him. The wind picked up as he took in the scents from abroad, carefully tracing over a map appearing in his mind of the next place to begin his search. There were two regions where Naraku _might_ be. If he pressed forward now, as quickly as he could, he would get to the first site in under a day. If Naraku knew of his movements this closely now, despite his best efforts, then his attempts at surprise were over. Speed was his weapon now.

Blinking, his eyes shifted to red as demonic energies swirled around his body, his tail swishing up into the air as his body began the process of transforming itself.

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

** Naraku: **

So, he had received no answers. At least he received no answers from _Sesshoumaru_ himself. There was a confirmation in all of this. The second Sesshoumaru was most certainly _stronger_ than the first one. The other thing it answered for Naraku, was his power was most certainly enough to cause him _problems,_ even now. His efforts would not be in vain. To cripple the dog-lord would be his best idea. Even now he realized he needed to find stronger demons to bring into his body. This new plan would buy him the time to escape this castle, and it would give him the opportunity to _hide,_ before he devoured his next prey.

To think, he now worried for his own survival, when for 50 years he had dwelled, quietly in the shadows. Naraku had not expected things to develop in this way. Even after _Kyoken’s_ defeat, he had expected his own involvement to be kept to a minimum. The players were to be manipulated into the right placing, however, _Lord_ Sesshoumaru appeared to understand the severity of what he was, despite them having not met until moments ago.

Where ever this creature came from, it was clearly from a place which it _knew_ about him, both in terms of how he operated, and in terms of how to locate him.

_ Could it be that this thing comes from another time, in the future? It would explain his expanded power over his counterpart, and it would explain how he knows me, clearly with more detail than I know him. It would also explain his different behaviour as compared to his other self. Though **how** he came back here, that is truly a mystery is it not? _

If it weren’t for the fact that he was coming to kill him, Naraku would have been far more fascinated by the arrival of such a traveller, and how he could use that to his ends.

The pulsating sack split open as a body slithered to the ground, taking it several gasps of air as the thick, demonic ichor drenched the floor of what had been his hideout. The figure’s body was still morphing together as he heard deep breaths being taken. A set of familiar red eyes, mirroring his own in many ways, stared back at him from the ground as two large hands grasped at the stone.

If things had gone _right,_ then this creature would serve his interests well.

“Naraku,” its deep voice grumbled.

It took several steps towards him, aggressively, and he knew immediately to grip the one component he’d left out of the mix. The body froze in place as it gagged in pain, falling to one knee. Its heart lay in his hands, literally, as he squeezed the orb of demonic energy which he kept it in, still apart of his _own_ body.

“Now, that would be unwise, my creation,” Naraku offered, his tone unforgiving of the treachery his creation was offering. “Especially as I have use for you. Do you understand that I am your creator, and your master?”

The beast’s bald head stared back up to him, its human likeness formed from the components he’d placed within its body. It was a detachment of his, a part of himself, moulded from an idea of capturing the very elements themselves. He could **sense** Sesshoumaru approaching the mountain fort he had used two months ago, and internally knew that gave him the time he needed to retreat further. Better yet however, it did in fact, give him the time he needed to deploy his weapon against his would-be killer.

“Yes,” the answer came as his offspring rose to its feet.

It towered above him, as it would tower above Sesshoumaru. Perhaps he would have spent more time crafting a creature with more nuance were it not for the desperation to keep his enemy at bay. Rushing things had never been his best attribute, but this creature would serve. Its large frame looked about as Naraku gave a small smile.

“Good, you will be clothed and made ready to confront your true enemy, _Lord Sessohoumaru._ The Dog Demon, you have his face in your mind, do you not?”

“Yes,” it answered again, its tone hard as rock.

Preparing to leave, Naraku felt a moment of weakness, having placed so much of _himself_ in this creature. He placed his hand on the walls of his cellar, feeling the drain of so much resources. He would have never done this unless otherwise needed, not without first absorbing more demonic energies. His own power now waxed and waned just being as he was, and there would be more exertions yet, moving the entirety of what was _Naraku_ to a new space, with more precautions.

But a useful puppet had been created, much more useful than the ones Sesshoumaru had just destroyed. He would find out his adversary’s full capabilities, or he would destroy him.

“What am I?” the deep voice emerged from behind him.

A good question, wasn’t it? It took him only a moment of contemplation before turning his head back towards him.

“You are Chiyaku,” he remarked. “You know everything else you need to. Now, prepare yourself, I will need you to bring me the head of Sesshoumaru.”


	6. Chapter VI: When in Rome

** Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Inuyasha, or really any other property. Thank you. **

** Being Alive **

****

** Chapter VI: When in Rome **

**Inuyasha:**

_The roads were paved, and people were bustling around him. There was so much noise, and he didn’t understand a word of what was being said. This place was alien to him. Stone and marble structures scattered over the view, with great statues and buildings held up by great pillars. Eyes traced over it all in wonder as the humans moved past him like he wasn’t even there._

_The most noteworthy thing immediately though, was the **heat.**_

_The sun was beating down on him like it was an assault from a fire demon. Instinctively he pulled the top of the robe of the fire rat off, just trying to not store as much heat on his body. Without an idea in the world as to where he now found himself, Inuyasha just started to walk forward. People didn’t stare at him. It was like he wasn’t even there. And these people looked way different than anyone he’d ever seen. Their facial features were entirely different from his own, or anyone’s he’d ever met. Their attire was also entirely different, strange tunics, made of odd woven cloth, as well as long robes which they wrapped around their bodies._

_Where the Hell am I?_

_His bare feet almost felt like they burnt on the hot stone street. Finally, he grabbed someone, pulling on their arm._

_“Hey, you, where the Hell am I?”_

_The man he grasped looked horrified; his long robe pulled away as he fixed a bracelet on his arm. This guy was on the chubby side as well, but he just seemed incensed by him even being there._

_“Barbara, noli me tangere.”_

_Great, he couldn’t even speak the language, so all he knew was he just got told off by some meathead, and he didn’t even know what he said. As best as he could tell, it was probably along the lines of “buzz off”. It felt like being a kid all over again. Only this time worse, because at least as a kid, he could talk to people, and he’d understand what they told him when he could piss off._

_Reaching down unconsciously for the Spatha, his fingers gripped an empty part of his belt, looking down with confusion. Damn, he’d lost his sword too? Today was just going great, wasn’t it? What else could go wrong?_

_From his other side, someone else grabbed his arm, he growled before turning his head sharply and preparing to lash out with his right arm, only to see a woman. She was somehow… **familiar.** It took him only a second to see red eyes staring back at him, crimson as blood. Her long, dark brown hair had been pulled up, held in place by a pin, as she wore a very soft looking dress and sandals. A pair of bracelets adorned her arms as she gave him a knowing smile._

_“Inuyasha,” she said, the familiar voice leaving the unrecognized lips._

_She looked different than he’d imagined. Her always thought of her as looking like… like…_

_Kikyo._

_It was all that he knew, as sad as that was._

_But now he was staring into red eyes, and the woman with an olive complexion, and an infectious smile. She seemed so alive as she disarmed his strike before he could even think to continue moving his arm. He noticed his other hand firmly placed within hers as she started to pull him gently forward._

_“You should relax, this is a wonderful place,” she said simply. “The greatest city in the world.”_

_He didn’t have anything else to measure it against, but so far it was… remarkable. Even now they passed a great column with sculptures carved into the side of it. When he looked over it, it felt like he was walking through an outdoor palace, but one made of marble. The shops, the bustling crowds, the noise, it was almost overwhelming to him all at once before he heard her speaking in the strange foreign language to a nearby trader._

_“You are Lyssa, right?” he asked as soon as she finished, just as the man smiled and nodded, moving towards his stall, carved into a small space in this place, this… forum?_

_“Was I too obvious, Inuyasha?”_

_“Well, the voice…”_

_“Ah, did you imagine me to be a steel sword, or did you imagine me to be like Kikyo?”_

_Blinking, he almost didn’t imagine she’d be so straight to the point. He felt however, like he fell out of a stupor. How the Hell did he end up in this city with weird people? And why was Lyssa not a sword? Was he… dreaming? This had to be a dream. It made sense. He was racing to remember the last thing before arriving here before he felt a hand on his cheek._

_“Shhh, stop,” she urged. “If you wake up, we won’t be able to continue our stroll. It’s been so long since I was home. I want to enjoy this for as long as I can.”_

_Home? So, this was what her home looked like? What a crazy looking place. He almost wanted to sniff everything here and see why it was so different, but he restrained the urge, just taking in background scents._

_“Why’d you leave?”_

_“The same reason anyone leaves Rome, because I had to. Demons of my ilk were not well regarded here. I followed my master to the ends of time and space, and then I found you, Inuyasha. But even then… I’ll never forget the forums, the palaces, the coliseum… The warm summer’s sun. Rome was more than just these buildings, though, it was a place of power.”_

_It was a vague enough answer that he knew he wasn’t getting anything further as they continued to walk down the street. He could feel her head on his shoulder and couldn’t help but feel relaxed. It felt very normal, almost natural. In truth he almost wished that this woman was at his side as she was, rather than being a blade in his hand. She’d given him what he wanted._

_At least, what he thought he wanted. And he was so close to keeping it. Then, once he finally had the power of a true demon, he could cast aside everything holding him back. He wouldn’t be some bastard, some half-demon anymore. He would be Inuyasha, and he would be who he needed to be. He would be who he was **born** to be._

**_“Inuyasha. No matter how painful it may seem, you are perfect as you are.”_ **

_It was his mother’s voice that rang through his mind as he walked the streets of this foreign world. When they stopped near a gigantic building, covered in sculptures, and composed entirely of arches, he just looked on in wonder, even as his heart sank quietly for what his mother had told him. He had been perfect in her eyes. But he knew she must have been wrong. Humans rejected him, other demons rejected him, and all this form had provided him with was grief and pain. To walk the path between two worlds was to live in neither of them._

_And after Kikyo…_

_“I don’t want to walk that path anymore,” he said quietly to himself._

_“Sorry?” Lyssa responded, smiling up at him before grabbing what appeared to be a kind of pear, and passing it to him._

_“I was just thinking, about the human part of my soul.”_

_Her face deadpanned, looking mildly disinterested, or revolted. Just as he expected, as he knew she was a demon herself. This was always the response, even from the woman now holding his arm. He almost didn’t want to tell her anything after that, but he didn’t want to remain silent either._

_“No, it’s not what you think. I’ve had people in my life tell me not to worry about it before. I’ve heard that I was fine the way I was. But I know now that I don’t want to walk that path any longer. I thought I wanted to be human, but… Kikyo…”_

_“Betrayed you,” Lyssa responded. “Such is the way of humans.”_

_Slowly, the city around them began to crumble. Pieces of marble broke away as the streets cracked and buildings fell into disrepair around him. This gem of a place, it went dead quiet. Parts appeared to become overgrown as pillars fell and the people slowly vanished._

_“What’s happening?”_

_“Humans, are happening,” she answered as the city fell into near complete ruin._

_The sun dimmed in the sky as Inuyasha was left in this wasteland of what had once been beautiful._

_“This is my home, or what was left of it the last time I saw it. All of the beauty and strength I once saw in it, sucked away. Human weakness, betrayal, any number of things caused it. But my home will stay with me, Inuyasha. In my heart, in the steel of my body, I will remember it as what it was. Before it was destroyed, and replaced by a mockery.”_

_One would think he had something to be sorry over, just being a half demon. Yea, he lost his home too, but not like this. This seemed so… final._

_“I’m sorry,” he said to her, sincerely as he looked at the husk of what he’d experienced only a few minutes prior._

_There was a look of genuine grief on her features before she turned and smiled at him._

_“I have seen death, death of cities, demons, men and women,” she started, before reaching up and stroking his cheek. “I have seen the death of the only one I knew as my master, the one who took my blood and bones and forged me into steel. All things pass, but I know you, Inuyasha, will walk the path of **Glory.”**_

_If her plan was to feed his ego, it was definitely working. Surprise however crossed his face when she leaned up to him, pressing her lips against his before he blinked in shock._

_“My Inuyasha.”_

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Inuyasha:**

Frantic eyes opened as his slumber ended. The cool droplets of rain pattered outside as he was left in the primitive shelter that he’d put together for himself. A far cry from the marble palaces he’d just seen in his dreams for the evening. At his side, he felt the blade on his hip, reaching down and grabbing the hilt instinctively, as if to check to make sure it was there. A relief washed over him as he reconnected with it. That was no normal dream. She’d been there, just like she was here now, even if she wasn’t able to hold his hand.

He never felt complete without her nearby, not anymore. Pulling himself to his feet a moment later, he grunted briefly from stretching his body. It’d been over a week of work so far, but they were closer now than they’d ever been. Not just so far as to how much he trusted Lyssa… he couldn’t imagine being without her now… but also in terms of his goal. The goal of remaining a true demon indefinitely. Chains rattled in the near distance as Inuyasha walked around several trees, looking towards the great tooth. Pinned to the base were long chains, which had been more than difficult to find. He’d had to go to several villages and _borrow_ them.

The real prize however, was what Lyssa had just called _the conduits._

A few dozen villagers he’d also managed to _borrow_ from a few settlements _._ Admittedly, there wasn’t much of villages for them to go back to at this point, but that wasn’t _his_ problem. To be fair, it wasn’t going to be their problem soon either.

That cold feeling in his stomach was back however as he walked towards the people, hearing fearful cries and groans of pain. They’d been shackled to the chains since yesterday, left out here in the cold forest. A few other demons thought to trespass before he went to sleep, but they’d made _short work of that._ Two dead frog-demons lay near the scene, their dismembered bodies torn to pieces and their flesh discoloured from Lyssa’s bite.

_“Inuyasha,”_ Kikyo’s voice rose up. _“Do you not wish to be a human, to live a decent, normal life?”_

Guilt.

That was what he was experiencing, he **knew** this emotion but it felt almost _foreign_ to him. His heart was almost racing with a _panic_ that he couldn’t explain, panic for these people? Panic… for himself? But why? Lyssa was here with him, true demonhood awaited him. He was about to get everything he wanted… but then why did it feel like he was marching to his death? Why was he worried about these people?

He could sense Lyssa in his hand, she was _focused_ on something that he didn’t feel her embrace in the same way. It felt distant, like she was distracted, focusing all of her power elsewhere.

_Get rid of it. Do it while you still can._

His _own voice_ seemed to break through as he looked down at the blade in his hand. Only minutes ago, he knew he wanted to hold onto it forever. It was the only thing that understood him, or was even _close_ to him now.

“Please,” a voice emerged, a woman turned up towards him, her eyes pleading. “Please let us go. We’ll give you whatever you want. Please…”

“Demon, whatever you have planned,” another voice emerged. “We can offer you tribute! Anything you want! Our harvest, every year!”

“Please, you can’t do this.”

His first instinct was to break the chain himself, to stride over and start liberating them all. He even took a step forward as if he was going to do it, before he felt something tug at his hand. It felt like a warm, familiar. All of those worries, the panic, the _guilt,_ evaporated. It was like it wasn’t even there. He felt like he was back in that beautiful city across the world, with Lyssa by his side.

Because she _was_ by his side.

_“Inuyasha, everything is ready.”_

Demonic energies began to rise from the ground around them, the buried power beneath being tapped into, stringing along the chains into the mortal bodies. It was a great font, a reserve of power buried here and sealed away long ago. He still couldn’t find the words to respond to her, now his anticipation being the only sensation he felt.

_Finally, after all this time._

Flipping the blade around several times, its silver skin glinting in the air, Inuyasha stabbed the ground with the sword as a fissure of energy cast forward. Immediately the chains themselves turned pink-red before the bodies of the humans lit up with an unnatural glow. Panic like he’d never seen emerged as the humans tried to pull away. Screaming and shouting they pulled at their bonds.

_What… what’s happening?_

_… What am I doing?_

His hand having left the sword, he looked on in the quickest onset of _horror_ he’d ever seen, as every one of the subjects caught fire, their bodies burning with demonic energies as they screamed into the forest. Their howls were something he’d never forget before all of the energy, all of the flame, pulled out of their bodies, leaving nothing but empty husks behind before the Spatha burned with a brightness he’d never seen.

He trembled at what he’d just witnessed, the unnatural red light flowing over the entire grove which he’d found this _reservoir_ in. His hand reached out, shaking, compelled to grab the sword. The screams of the villages still shrieked across the blade, he felt himself almost throw up. Resistance to his own motion was immense, falling to one knee as if trying to prevent himself from achieving…

_What… what have I done?_

_“Inuyasha.”_

The voice was soft. It was the same velvet tone that whispered to him every time he felt _pain,_ or… _or grief_ for what was happening. For anything in his life.

_“Inuyasha.”_

It repeated again, as he looked up, just past the blade itself, he could see her. She was smiling back at him, before flicking her hair over her shoulder.

_“Take the blade, Inuyasha. Take my hilt. Complete the circle. Embrace your destiny… walk the path **we’ve** chosen.”_

It was enough, it was an alluring call… It was almost impossible to resist the compulsion, when he grabbed the blade, fire flooded through his veins. Unable to hold back, Inuyasha **screamed,** as he felt the _soul_ in his body _burn._ Inside his own scream, he could hear the cries of…

_Everyone who ever cared about me._

It was the last thoughts that ran through his mind before his skin turned to molten glass, seemingly, before he felt himself _melt_ into the darkness around him.

It would only be when the light of the sun came over him again, feeling so _warm…_ like he was back in Lyssa’s city, that Inuyasha would come to his senses. Looking down at his hands, he felt… _alive…_

Carefully, he pulled himself up to his feet, his golden eyes scanning what had been the ritual site. The sword no longer glowed as brightly, or intensely, and without a second thought he grabbed it, having not a thought in the world about what had happened _before_ he’d awakened.

_“My love,”_ her voice ran through him as he took the hilt once more. _“I have made you whole. You have the blood of a true demon now.”_

Looking over the bodies, over the site itself, he felt _nothing,_ still feeling the demonic power beneath this place resonating beneath his feet. Calmly, he began walking over several moss-covered rocks before hopping over a downed tree.

_“Where should we go now? What purpose drives you, Inuyasha?”_

_I want nothing more than to be better than everyone, including Sesshoumaru. I want to walk the path you told me about. The path of glory._

_“Wonderful.”_

** ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() **

**Sesshoumaru, the Elder:**

The barrier extended far more kilometres than he’d expected. An invisible wall disturbing the flow of demonic energies, forcing him to _walk_ much of the distance. Though he hardly was going at a slow pace, ensuring that he kept up his movements while at the same time _preventing_ himself from exerting too much energy. When he arrived, he knew Naraku would be concealing himself, _if_ he was here. It was about eliminating every possible location his enemy remained, in order to drive him out into the open and destroying him.

If his suspicions were correct his enemy wouldn’t be able to hold up against him long enough to even achieve a fraction of his original power. He doubted very much there would be any detachments, and how many cursed humans or demons he could throw in his way were _very_ limited, if only because his enemy had no jewel shards with which to barter, or to use to manipulate and control others. Whatever he could do, would be of his own whit, and Sesshoumaru intended to exhaust what resources his opponent had in such a way he would never be able to keep up with him.

Naraku would be finished very soon, and he, Sesshoumaru, would be the one to do it. With the flow of time permanently altered now anyway, or least his understanding of events _warped_ to no longer reflect what had occurred before, he could justify the destruction of his long-time enemy without much hesitation. But this still opened a much _darker_ box for him to look into.

If this was his responsibility, what was his responsibility to those who had been left behind? What of Rin and Kohaku? Did the time he come from exist any longer? Or did they only exist in his memories now, much as they had said that Kagura would always exist in theirs? Kagura was another being, stripped of her fate, in this case to never have existed.

Pausing on the next ledge he hopped to, Sesshoumaru looked past several canyons, the road and bridges having been clearly destroyed on purpose on the way to this fort, which he could now see with the naked eye quiet clearly. He was perhaps an hour away now. The sun would be dipping in the dusk sky when he got there, but he was not concerned. Whatever traps his prey had devised would be no match for him.

He’d been apart of Rin’s life, however. That was a point which stuck to him. She and Kohaku’s children were now a group of men and women he had been near for many years, having shown them respect for their origins. He couldn’t help but think it was… _unfortunate,_ that they would no longer exist. Kohaku’s village would never be destroyed, Rin would remain an orphan, and the consequences of all of these acts would reverberate even further.

Though he cared _nothing_ for the fate of the demon-slayer woman, or the cursed monk, of Inuyasha’s friends and colleagues, their fate would never be the same, and perhaps now, even Inuyasha’s would never recover. After Naraku was killed, he would need to free his brother of the cursed sword, which _he_ was responsible for bringing back here. It was a begrudging admission that perhaps… he wanted to help his sibling. Their father was still a fool for having done the act of creating Inuyasha, but he understood it, a century on from Naraku’s death. He understood Inuyasha’s plight, and could empathize with it. He nephews and nieces were other victims of his coming back here.

The battle with the demon, Romulus, had created a condition where he had to bring the morality of his actions into view. The more he participated in all of this, the more he changed things to be outside of what they were _meant_ to be. His role wasn’t to look to the past to _fix_ things. There was nothing to fix, because everything turned out as it was always meant to. The question had been answered for him, but it prodded at his mind still.

Doing all that he’d done, he’d decided for _himself,_ that killing Naraku was the path he would walk. The consequences be damned. His younger self would need to find his own path in this already new world. Inuyasha himself would need to find the strength to free himself from his slavery and curse. It wasn’t _his_ world’s Inuyasha. His world was _gone_ to him, even if it somehow still existed somewhere, he was disconnected from it.

Sesshoumaru had become an echo of something that was now lost to him. The only thing he knew he could do after Naraku was crushed was find the only person he knew he cared about; whose life could be salvaged in all of this.

_Rin._

The girl in the village whose parents had died. He doubted very much that this world’s Sesshoumaru would lose an arm to Inuyasha, and find himself in the woods, vulnerable and injured. Yes, he would still fix that, as no one else would. Even if everything else was lost in the sands of time, the first one to show him a view outside of his own, should be saved, if he could manage that.

The looming gates came up ahead, the doors having been ripped free. The walls of the fortress were ill kept themselves, wood degrading already on its ramparts, but he didn’t much care either way. Calmly, he stepped through the threshold. The open space of the centre of the fort was open for his eyes to see. But his eyes quickly traced to the series of huts and small buildings within, as well as the one master’s house.

There was the background energy of demonic energies here, as well as the scent of Naraku’s miasma and _scent._ But it was decaying, if he had been here recently, it would be far fresher. He missed his prey being here, but there was of course a baboon pelt covered figure sitting in the heart of the courtyard. It was a monster sitting at the heart of a web, like a spider waiting on its prey. The mask looked directly at him with its empty eyes filled with nothing but darkness.

Before he made his approach, Sesshoumaru felt a gentle breeze brush past him, his hair fluttering gently in the wind. Were in his own time he might have seen it as a sign. For now, he just looked towards the sky for a few seconds, before turning his gaze back on Naraku’s puppet.

“Greetings once more, Lord Sesshoumaru,” the vessel greeted him. “I see your journey was somewhat delayed. You have my apologies, I felt enhancing the power of my barriers was only appropriate to keep those who sought me out by air more preoccupied. I hope you faired well on your journey.”

Sesshoumaru didn’t make another step forward as all of his senses continued to hone in on his surroundings, expecting an attack at any time, from any direction.

“You really must be a better guest,” Naraku’s voice continued. “I have tried several times for civil discourse with your person, but you have so far been so unreceptive to my very polite, and well-intentioned hospitality.”

“You are an impudent creature,” Sesshoumaru remarked finally. “You speak as if you are an honourable host. I have seen no such offerings to make you such, and certainly none of good intention.”

The puppet shifted slightly, and briefly Sesshoumaru expected an attack. Was Naraku weak enough in this time that all he could muster were insects, manipulation, and puppets? Even if he spent this time wisely, he would have at most relocated himself once more than before, at the most. This chase would end very soon for him, and then he would taste Bakusaiga’s power. He avoided using it so far on his _puppets_ , if only because he wanted to avoid the outside chance of him discovering the blade’s true power.

Danger suddenly filled the air as Sesshoumaru felt a disturbance. It was Naraku’s scent again, but much stronger. Had the demon come to face him after all?

The ground rumbled, as if a great boulder had smashed into its surface. He kept his footing as he started to hear Naraku’s chuckle fill the air. It grew with its vigor with every second before it burst into a guttural laugh.

“Lord Sesshoumaru, please, allow me to offer you my hospitality, _in my good intention,_ then!”

The puppet shattered as a large form crashed into it. The ground around it splintered as if something as heavy as a castle had been dropped on it. Placing his hand on his blade instinctively, Sesshoumaru stepped one foot back, keeping away that he made need to leap back. The ground didn’t seem hollowed out for a trap from below as well, and nothing else seemed to fall from the sky, but he wasn’t to be taken unaware.

The unaware, were the dead.

A lumper human-shaped body emerged from the hole. It was a man, much taller than himself, and as thick as an old tree. His dark green kimono was set over a brow set of pants, as well as thick, dark leather boots, covering up to just below his knee. This hulking figure just smirked at him, before resting its weapon on its shoulder. Its hands were immense as well, holding the immense club in his hand, which Sesshoumaru recognized as a _Kanabo._

The light of the sun was dull now at dusk, but still reflected off his perfectly bald head.

“Lord Sesshoumaru,” the deep voice said from across the yard. “We meet, face to face. Have you prepared yourself?”

Its red eyes gave away its true nature. This creature was _a detachment_. Drawing his blade slowly, Sesshoumaru remained where he was, staring down the monster before him. Its powers would be presented soon enough, but if Naraku had managed to create a detachment this soon, without even the Shikon Jewel, that may cause his plans to be slowed, even he would hate to admit it.

_He wouldn’t just throw something at me which is made of muscle, he would know better. It has to have something unique about it to make it a threat to me._

The giant club on the beast’s shoulders slowly lifted off as he started to twirl it slowly in his hand. It started to grin at him as it seemed to prepare itself.

“I, Sesshoumaru, need not prepare myself for a lowly being such as a detachment of Naraku,” he announced.

The twirl stopped as the beast took in the information, he looked to the side, as if looking at something Sesshoumaru had yet to notice, before looking back at him, a dark look cross the demon’s face. It hadn’t expected him to know its true nature. It stopped twirling its weapon confidently and instead prepared itself, taking on a stance for combat.

“You know much, Sesshoumaru, but you do not understand that I am no mere detachment. I am **Chiyaku** , strongest of the demons,” it announced. “I am the mountains, and I am the strength of stone and the earth itself.”

The ground began to rumble again as Sesshoumaru sensed demonic energies gathering around his foe. It became a measurement of how much did he wish to exert himself in this battle? He was confident that his creature was not his equal. It was being sent to measure _his_ threat, that much Sesshoumaru was sure of. Of course, he doubted very much Naraku informed this _thing_ of its fate to be little more than a lamb to the slaughter.

“You are a pitiful excuse for a demon. A creature spawned by a half-demon, composed of the vile refuse of Naraku’s body. You are nothing.”

The rumbling intensified before the giant pulled back his studded war stick, before sweeping it towards him. A gust of wind and force blasted across the opening between them, before the ground between them shattered in a wave of explosive forces coming from the ground, splitting open the rock and earth between them. The demon lord leaped to the side as the ground was shattered beneath his feet, fragments of the ground shooting in all directions like arrows, cutting past his frame. As soon as his feet landed, the giant humanoid was roaring, holding its club aloft in a stance to strike out at him, to try and break his body in two down the middle.

Sesshoumaru, was not impressed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This will be updated slowly as I go over chapters and release them on Ao3. I appreciate any and all feedback!


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